The Search for Genis
by Skyler-Kaiba
Summary: A girl who despises halfelves plans to cause problems for the Sage siblings. Who is she, and what does she have in mind for Genis? The T rating is for later chapters. Some implied GenisPresea and LloydColette, but also likely in later chapters.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or any of the characters from it. They belong to Namco.

A/N: This takes place after the end of the game, so if you haven't beaten the game, please don't read this.

Tales of Symphonia Fanfic

The Search for Genis

Prologue

One day, Raine and Genis were visiting the city of Luin, in their quest to try and make the world a place where half-elves would be better accepted. It was around noon, and so far they had visited several cities to try and change people's minds.

Genis looked at Raine, "How much longer do you think this is gonna take?"

Raine shrugged, "Quite a while...why? Do you have somewhere you need to be?"

Genis sighed, "It's nothing...I just miss Presea and everyone. That's all."

Raine nodded her head, "I miss them too. We can stop by Dirk's house after this if you want. I'm sure Lloyd misses you."

Genis smiled, "Thanks sis." He walked by a tall girl with purple hair and gray-green eyes. She didn't say a word to the half-elf as he went by her, but you could tell by the way she was standing, and by the way her eyes followed Genis, that she had some ill intent toward the half-elven boy.

Raine had already gone on ahead, so she hadn't seen the girl.

The girl smirked and muttered under her breath, "...Just you wait, miserable half-elf. Later, I shall take you away and have you begging me to kill you."

Around 9 or 10 o'clock at night, Raine and Genis went to the newly built inn at the center of Luin. It had been a long day and they were both tired from their long travels.

Genis yawned a little, "Sis? Do you think...that girl hated half-elves?"

Raine blinked, "What girl?"  
Genis sighed, "I don't know who she was, but she was tall and had purple hair and grayish-green eyes. She was a little too quiet as I walked by her."

Raine told him, "I wouldn't worry about it, Genis. If she does hate our kind...there's nothing we can do about it. For all we know, that's what she's been raised to think."

Genis nodded, "Yeah...good point." He yawned again, then headed to a room to go to sleep.

After paying the innkeeper for two rooms, Raine went to a room of her own, just down the hall from Genis's, just in case anyone tried to harm him. She went to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow in the bed.

About two hours into the night, the girl from earlier snuck into the inn.

The innkeeper asked, "Who are you? May I help you, my lady?"

The girl replied, "My name's Hexa. I came to inquire about Genis and Raine Sage. Which rooms belong to them?"

The innkeeper, unknowing of Hexa's ill intent, told her, "The rooms at the end of the hallway upstairs. Are you a friend of theirs?"

Hexa blinked. She had to say something in order to keep the innkeeper off of her tail, "..Um, yeah. They're my friends." She gave a fake smile, then headed upstairs.

The innkeeper blinked and shrugged, "Okay...whatever." She then went back to her duties.

Hexa walked to the end of the hall, to Genis's room. She quietly opened the door and crept inside. She placed a hand over the half-elf's mouth, so that if he screamed it would be harder for Raine to hear. 'No doubt his sister chose a room just down the hall to watch over him.' She thought as she picked him up.

Genis jerked awake almost instantly, and would've screamed if his mouth hadn't been covered and he hadn't been karate chopped on the back of his neck. He blacked out again.

Raine had been only half-asleep and had heard a strange shuffling sound coming from Genis's room. He didn't normally toss and turn a lot, so something must be wrong. She sat up in bed and headed out into the hallway. What was going on?

Hexa came out of Genis's room with Genis in her arms, unaware of Raine's presence. She then looked down the hall and saw her, "Umm...uh-oh..."

Raine glared, "You put my brother down, now."

Hexa smirked, "No, dearest half-elf, I won't. I will make all half-elves like yourself suffer. Hahaha." She quickly took a poison-tipped dagger out of her pocket and threw it at the half-elf professor.

The motion was too quick for Raine and she got hit in the shoulder with the dagger. She grimaced in pain, then looked at Hexa, "...So, you refuse...to accept us? That's...your own prerogative, but leave my brother out of this. Put him down!" She took out her staff and began charging up a Photon blast.

Hexa shook her head, "I already said no, woman. And I'm not afraid of you...no matter how foolish that might be." She walked over to Raine and kicked her in the shin, hard, to break her concentration on the spell.

Raine winced and fell, "You...won't get away with him. I won't let you." She used her staff to pull herself to her feet and stood up.

Hexa sighed and shook her head, setting the surprisingly still-asleep Genis against a far wall, "If I have to fight you for him, I will. I'd rather not waste my time doing that, but you have to do what you have to do, right?"  
Raine nodded, "Indeed." She began charging up Photon again.

Hexa smirked, "Is magic all you have? Can you not use that staff as anything other than a way to direct your spells?"

Raine glared. The girl had gone too far in insulting her like that, not to mention that she was trying to take Genis away, "Oh, no. I can use it as a weapon too. Want to see?" She asked, walking over to the girl and slamming the staff down on her shoulder to try and get her to drop the sword she had drawn.

Hexa winced, but then smirked, "Heh...that was a good hit, but try and beat this!" She had dropped the sword, but picked it up again and stabbed Raine in the stomach with her sword.

Raine gasped in pain as the blade went through, and fell to her knees. She looked over at Genis and cried out to him to try and wake him up before she passed out, "Genis!"

Genis jerked awake again at his sister's cry, "Raine...Raine!" He got to his feet and dashed over to his injured sister.

Hexa was hiding in the shadows behind Genis, waiting for the right moment to grab him and run.

Raine was already weakening, blood flowing freely onto her orange robe like top. She then coughed as the poison took effect, "Genis...get out of here, now." She muttered to him, "That girl from earlier..." She couldn't finish her sentence and passed out.

Hexa threw her sword out in front of Genis, to trip him up. She was going to capture him one way or another. She made sure the blade was pointed away from any vital areas though.

Genis followed his sister's wishes and started to run away. He hadn't seen Hexa throw her sword, as he had been too wrapped up in his sister's welfare to notice. He tripped over the sword on the ground and landed hard on the floor, "Ow..." He muttered.

Hexa smirked, "Heh...nice one, wimp." She muttered, stepping out of the shadows.

Genis glared, "Who you calling a wimp?! And why did you hurt my sister? She might die now because of you."

Hexa told him, "I hope she does." Those four words showed her true hatred of half-elves, "I hope she suffers."

Genis trembled, "...So, you hate half-elves, huh? Then why are you trying to capture me?"  
Hexa smirked, "I have something special in mind for you, Genis." She told him, flipping over his shoulder and punching him hard on the back of the head.

Genis blinked, then blacked out. The last thought that filled his head before he blacked out was, _What does she have in mind for me? ...I hope Raine...will be...okay._

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun! So how did you like it? I know, kind of a weird idea, but it's different. /shrugs/ Please review and try to make it helpful. I know this chapter wasn't particularly long but I expect that later chapters will be longer. The story will also live up to its name in later chapters. As the title of this chapter suggests, it was a prologue. 


	2. Chapter 1 Hard Times for Genis

Disclaimer: See the Epilogue. Nothing belongs to me except for the plot of this story. XP

A/N: Something MAJOR happens to Genis in this chapter. If you don't want to read that part, you may skip over it if you wish.

Tales of Symphonia

The Search for Genis

Chapter 1: Familiar Faces and Genis's Hard Time

Raine came to a few hours after Genis had been carried away by Hexa. She winced in pain and looked at the doctor who was caring for her, "...Doctor, I must go to Iselia..."

The doctor sighed, "Lady, you are in no shape to be going anywhere. You were badly injured and poisoned."

Raine sat up in the bed, wincing a bit, "That may be...but Lloyd Irving, a friend of mine, must be made aware of Genis's situation...I must be the one to tell him, because I'm the only one who knows what happened."

The doctor could tell she wasn't one to be stopped so he muttered, "Fine...but this is against my better judgment. I will go with you to Iselia."

Raine sighed, but nodded her head, "All right, if you feel you must." She got out of the bed and stood up, heading for the door. Though she was still very shaky on her feet, she went outside.

The doctor followed her warily after grabbing his medical bag, "I must. You are my responsibility at the moment and I never abandon my patients."

After walking for the better part of the morning, Raine stopped at the entrance to Asgard, worn out. She yawned and looked at the doctor, "Can we stop and rest here?"

The doctor nodded, "That's a very good idea, Raine Sage. The best one you've had all morning. By the way, my name's Dr. Tara Lian, but you can call me Tara."

Raine blinked, but nodded, "Okay...so we'll go to the inn and you can change my bandages while I rest...and maybe we could find a potion that will get rid of my poisoning."

Tara sighed, "I doubt we will...the poison you have been touched with is unlike anything I've seen before. I don't think that a Panacea Bottle will help you in this case. You will need a Mizuho antidote in order to get rid of it. It is that strong of a poison."

Raine blinked, "Oh..." She walked into the inn and lay down on a bed, "How far has it spread?"

Tara told her, as she followed, "Not that far yet, thankfully...but it will be spread much further by the time we get to Iselia. Don't worry though...it will take a while for the poison to reach your heart."

Raine sighed and crossed her arms, "How long are we talking about?"

Tara replied honestly, "A week or two, possibly more if you don't overexert yourself. You rest now. Let me worry about your condition, okay?"

Raine nodded and shut her eyes, taking a fitful rest.

Tara sighed and took off Raine's slightly bloody bandages. She put on some fresh ones, then gave Raine a Panacea Bottle to try and slow the poison's progress.

About two hours later, Raine woke up again and looked at Tara, "Let's get going. It's not that far to Iselia now. We just need to go to Palmacosta, take a boat across the sea to Izoold, head over the Ossa Trail to Triet, then head north from there."

Tara replied, "Okay...think you can handle all of that today?"

Raine responded, "Well...I can at least make it to Triet. We'll have to spend the night at the inn there. We should be able to reach Iselia by tomorrow afternoon if we leave first thing in the morning from Triet."

Tara sighed, "Okay...you just let me know if you start to get tired. We can stop and take a short break when you need to."

Raine nodded, "All right."

Meanwhile, in Iselia, Lloyd was spending some time with Colette. After the worlds had been reunited, both he and Colette had been more open about their feelings toward each other. He leaned back, sighing as he lay on his back looking at the clouds, "Hey, Colette...think Dad's okay?"

Colette smiled, "I'm sure he's fine. He's a former member of Cruxis, remember?" She planted a light kiss on his cheek.

Lloyd smiled back at her, "Yeah, you're probably right." He rolled over onto his side, looking directly into her blue eyes, "...Colette? Eh...here. I knew it was your birthday soon, and I didn't want to forget your present again, so I made it early. Happy early birthday.." He muttered, pulling a small box out of his pocket and handing it to her.

Colette gasped, "Oh, Lloyd...you're so sweet. Thank you!" She hugged him tightly, then gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Lloyd blushed, then kissed back.

Once the kiss was broken, Lloyd took a breath then told her, "You're welcome." He smiled, taking her hand and gently squeezing it.

Colette opened the small box. Inside of it was a beautiful diamond necklace that she knew he couldn't have made on his own, "Oh, Lloyd...thank you. It's gorgeous.." She hugged him tightly, then asked, "...Just curious, how did you get it?"

Lloyd shrugged, "I asked Dad to help me make it. I made the chain though..." He muttered.

Colette smiled, "It's perfect Lloyd. I couldn't ask for a better present." She kissed his cheek.

Lloyd blushed at the praise, "...Ahh, you're welcome..."

Meanwhile, Raine and Tara were now approaching the Ossa Trail. They would make it to Triet before the sun would set, assuming Raine didn't take a sudden turn for the worse.

Raine told Tara, "Not far now..." She was a little tired, but not enough to stop and take a break yet.

Tara nodded, "Maybe we should take a little break. Don't think I didn't notice how you seem to be a little tired. I may seem to be worrying a little much, but I can't have you pushing yourself too hard. Especially since it may cause your wounds to re-open."

Raine sighed, "All right. We'll stop for half-an-hour...but no longer than that. I really want to make it to Triet before the sun sets."

Tara replied, "Okay...let me see your wounds."

Raine obliged, taking off her orange robe, leaving on only the white blouse she wore under it.

Tara examined the stab wound on Raine's stomach, then the one on her back where the sword had gone all the way through. The wounds were healing, but all too slowly for her liking, "I think that the poison is causing problems. Your wounds are healing slower than normal for a half-elf such as yourself." She raised Raine's shirt slightly, taking off the dirty bandages and replacing them with clean ones.

Raine sighed, "Then...we have to hurry even more. If the poison's spreading fast enough to have already infected my wounds...who knows how long it will be until it...spreads to my heart?"

Tara told her, "You've still got a few more days before it becomes too much of a problem and the poison enters your bloodstream. Don't give up on me now. You were the one who wanted to travel to Iselia."

Raine nodded, "Right, and we'll make it there by tomorrow afternoon, if we leave Triet early in the morning."

Tara smiled, "Thank you. Now then, are we ready to get moving again? Or do you need longer?"  
Raine responded, "I might need a few more minutes."

Meanwhile, Genis woke up in Hexa's hideout, which was near the ruins of the old Iselia Ranch. He rubbed his throbbing neck, "Owwww...where am I?"

Hexa replied, "Ahh, good. You're finally awake. Now I can begin the process of breaking you, pitiful half-elf."

Genis gulped, instinctively trying to step back, but found himself bound to the ground, "What...are you going to do?" He asked, very much afraid of what this half-elf despiser had planned for him.

Hexa laughed, "Oh...more than you can even dream of, half-elf..." She grabbed a spiky whip from the wall, which Genis noticed also had many other weapons on it. She then grabbed the back of Genis's blue shirt, ripping it off of him. She tore it to shreds, then removed the black shirt thing he had on under it, exposing his bare skin.

Genis shivered slightly for a moment, then was okay once he had adjusted to the slight chilly breeze that bit at his skin. He asked again, very much afraid now, "What are you going to do?"

Hexa gave a cold, steely response, "This." She lashed the whip on Genis's bare back, tearing his flesh with the spikes and creating a red welt and line of blood where it had hit him, "Until you've told me what has happened to those who are friends with half-elves, Lloyd Irving and his like."

Genis couldn't fight back the cry of agony that escaped his lips. He looked at her, finally managing to collect himself enough to glare back at her and reply, "Stop! I'm not telling you anything."

Hexa laughed cruelly, "No...your suffering is my enjoyment. I won't stop until you've passed out, died, or told me what I want to know. Whichever one comes first." She lashed the whip again, tearing more of the half-elf's delicate skin from his back and creating another mean red welt and an even deeper line of blood.

Genis gave another cry of agony. He collected himself again, "Stop it! I won't tell you anything!"

Hexa glared, "You're certainly stubborn...and you've got quite a spirit about you." She smirked, after lashing the whip on him a few more times. This caused more cries from Genis and then she said, "I know the perfect way to break you. Shanna, come here! Hurry up, slut!"

Shanna made her way to Hexa and Genis, and asked her, "What is it, mistress?" She asked, frowning as her eyes fell on Genis.

Hexa replied, "Take the boy to my room. Do whatever you want to with him. Rape him, starve him, do whatever you want. Just make him suffer."

Shanna gulped, "But...mistress...I don't share the-" She was cut off when Hexa grabbed her by her brown hair, which was up in a ponytail.

Hexa told her, "I don't care if you share my hatred of half-elves or not! You'll do as I say or I'll tell your whole family that you've been selling yourself, and that one of your clients, Zelos Wilder, got you pregnant."

Shanna whimpered,but nodded, "Y-yes, ma'am." She picked up the injured Genis, "But...could I clean him up first?"

Hexa glared, "No, you may not. You will take him like he is, got it?"

Shanna responded, "O-okay, ma'am." She picked up the badly injured Genis and headed for Hexa's room, "I'm sorry." She whispered to the half-elf. She wasn't a bad person, not really. She had just gotten mixed up with the wrong person.

Genis didn't say anything. He didn't even look at Shanna. He was in too much pain at the moment to care as she carried him to the room where he would lose his innocence, purity, and virginity.

Meanwhile, Raine and Tara had finally made it to Triet, and were at the inn reserving a room for themselves.

Raine smiled, "I'm glad we made it." She sighed a bit, "I hope my brother's okay...wherever he is."

Tara told her, "Don't worry so much. From what you've told me about your brother, I'm sure he's fine." She was trying to keep Raine's spirits up.

Raine nodded, "I'm sure you're right...but I can't help it. I'm his older sister. It's my job to look after him. Has been for a very long time."

Tara smiled, "And that's how it should be." She yawned, "Come on, let's go to bed. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Raine replied, also yawning, "Yeah...you're right." She went to the room she had reserved for them and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Tara turned the now sleeping Raine onto her side, so that she wasn't lying on her wounds. That certainly wouldn't help them heal.

Meanwhile, in Iselia, Lloyd was sitting in Dirk's House, writing a letter to Kratos. He had recently had a disturbing dream about Raine and Genis. He hoped that his dream wasn't an omen.

_Dear Dad,_

_Sorry I haven't had much time to write you. Things have been great between Colette and me. I just gave her a diamond necklace as a birthday present and she seemed to really like it, but I was sorely tempted to ask her to marry me right then and there. I love her that much, and she tells me everyday that she loves me a lot too. Was this how you felt about Mom? I know it's prying, but I've got to know...anyway, that's not why I'm writing you. _

_I recently had a very disturbing dream of Genis and Raine. Raine was all bloodied up and sick. Genis was...well, he just wasn't the same. He seemed so broken, so fragile...it was almost as if someone had taken a hammer to his spirit and shattered it into a thousand pieces. _

_I was thinking that it might be an omen...but I hope not. I don't want anything bad to have happened to them. I can appreciate the cause they're fighting for though. Oh well, I'd better go. Colette wants to go to dinner and I promised I would take her somewhere, so I'll hopefully see you later._

_Miss you Dad,_

_Lloyd_

Colette sighed, "Lloyd, come on! Hurry up! I'm hungry..."

Lloyd laughed, "All right, I'm coming." He put his letter into an envelope, then tossed it into the billowing wind, hoping that chance would be on his side and let Kratos receive his letter, all the way in Dherris-Kharlan. He then ran out of the house. He met up with Colette and asked her, "Still hungry?"

Colette smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I am. What were you doing anyway?"

Lloyd replied, "Just writing to Dad...I really miss him and thought that writing a letter might help." He shrugged and sighed, "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

Colette told him, "Yeah, I'm sure we will. Kratos cares about you too much to stay away forever. He might even come back after discarding all of Cruxis's Exspheres from Dherris-Kharlan."

Lloyd nodded, giving a small smile, "Yeah...that'd be wonderful." He said, taking Colette's hand in his and squeezing it. She was the reason he hadn't fallen into a deep depression in the months following Kratos's departure from the new world. She had come by to check on him every day since then, and as a result, their feelings had also escalated.

Meanwhile, at Hexa's hideout, Shanna had tied Genis to Hexa's bed, and was removing what remained of his clothing.

Genis whispered, tears in his eyes, "Please...don't..."

Shanna sighed, "I'm sorry...but I have to follow my mistress's commands. Don't try to fight me...that will only make your injuries from the whip hurt worse." She really didn't want to hurt such an innocent and pure boy, regardless of the fact that he was a half-elf.

Genis whimpered, "...But, you don't agree with her beliefs...why have you stayed, anyway?"

Shanna replied, "Because she's the only one who knows what I really am, what I've done with other men...she has threatened to tell my family of this, which would surely bring them to shame me and throw me out of the house. I would have nowhere to go if that were to happen...now, stop trying to stall me. I know this is going to hurt you...and I don't want to do it, but if I don't, my family will suffer for it and shame their only daughter." She took off her scant clothes, which had consisted of nothing more than a strapless black leather tube top, brown leather leggings, and white boots.

She crawled onto the bed with Genis, whispering into his ear, "I'm sorry." She then got on top of him and rubbed her hand up and down the shaft of his penis, to arouse the innocent 12-year-old, and steal his virginity.

Genis muttered, "Stop...please..." He begged, trying to crawl away from her.

Shanna grabbed a handful of his silver hair and pulled him down again, into a better position, "I said don't fight me." She said simply, as she began to move against him, "It will make it much easier on you if you don't."

Genis began crying as she said this, tears streaming down his face, "Stop! Please!" He pleaded, wincing as she stole his virginity from him. Blood from the wounds on his back covered the bed behind him, as well as some underneath his bare backside.

Shanna saw him crying, and several dozen tears made their way down her face too, "No...really, I'm sorry...but I can't do anything..." Her mind was racing now with a million different questions. Why had she taken such an innocent child? She didn't care that he was a half-elf, and had hoped they could be friends, but Hexa...Hexa had forced her to torture him in such a way, due to this. Why did it have to be now, when she was so close to being free of the girl? She stopped now, getting up and putting her clothes back on, "Genis...I am so sorry. I _really _didn't want to do this to you...but..."

Genis said not a word now, lying face down in the bed and crying relentlessly. He eventually cried himself to sleep.

Shanna bit her lip and picked up Genis, placing his blue shorts back on him and carrying him out of the room, unshed tears still in her eyes. She saw Hexa walking by as she made her way back to the main part of the hideout and told her, "I won't have anything to do with your campaign against half-elves any longer! I'm taking Genis to a doctor."

Hexa glared, "You will do no such thing! Give me the boy now and I might not kill you."

Shanna took a step back, "No! You'll torture him again! He needs a doctor...he's lost way too much blood! Especially since I had to...steal his virginity from him..."

Hexa laughed, "_I _will torture him? What you did to him will be with him for much longer than any physical pain I inflict. Physical wounds will heal...emotional wounds will as well, but those take much longer. Now, give him to me!" She demanded, "Unless you want your family and Wilder's family to know that you are carrying the child of Tethe'alla's Chosen."

((A/N: Nice little twist, eh? Zelos is going to have a kid he never knew about... >))

Shanna gulped, tears forming in her eyes as she had heard that Zelos was dead, "Okay...fine...take him."

Hexa took the sleeping half-elf child from Shanna and took him back to the main room of her hideout, tying him to a statue.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and Colette were eating dinner at Palmacosta, at a nice restaurant.

Lloyd still had the outfit that Regal had given him for the dinner party at Meltokio, and was wearing it. It was a nice suit, with a black tie and a red handkerchief tucked into the left pocket, "So, Colette, are you liking this?" He asked her, hoping she didn't think this was too fancy.

Colette smiled, "Yeah, I really am, Lloyd. Thank you for bringing me here. How did you find out about this place anyway?" She was wearing a nice pink dress with frilly sleeves.

Lloyd replied, sighing, "How else? Zelos told me before he died. He has a hand in everything, I think." Bringing up the redheaded Chosen still hurt a little, for it had only been eight or nine months since he had died at Lloyd's own hand.

Colette placed a hand on his shoulder, "Oh, okay. I'm sorry Lloyd...I know it still hurts for you to mention him..." She hugged him, trying to comfort him.

Lloyd returned the embrace, "It's okay, Colette. You didn't know. Anyway, I'm fine. Let's just focus on having a nice evening, okay?"

Colette smiled, "Okay, Lloyd." She took his hand and looked up, hearing something, "...Someone's coming, Lloyd."

Lloyd blinked, "Who is it?"

Colette told him, "It sounds like Yuan...but what would he be doing here? I thought he went with Kratos."

Lloyd shrugged, "Maybe my dad got my letter and he's here to deliver a reply."

Colette asked, "That quickly?"

Lloyd told her, "Can you think of any other reason why he'd be here?"

Colette shook her head.

Yuan then walked up to the couple, wearing his usual cape and red, black, and gold outfit, "Lloyd, your father received your letter. He's written a reply too. He...wanted me to drop off his letter, saying something about not wanting to interfere with you two." He quirked an eyebrow in interest as he eyed the two, "What did he mean by that?"  
Slightly flustered, Colette blushed and answered, "Eh...nothing..."

Lloyd crossed his arms, blushing a light pink, "That's none of your business, Yuan. Just give us the letter and go."

Yuan sighed, "Fine...some thanks I get, taking all the trouble of flying here from Dherris-Kharlan...anyway, I'll see you later Lloyd." He set the letter on the table and began to walk towards the exit, but stopped, "Oh, and Lloyd...I've heard that Genis is missing."

Lloyd nodded, "See you, Yuan, oh, and thanks for the letter. Wait...missing? That can't be good...I hope...he's okay."

Yuan left the restaurant.

Lloyd opened Kratos's letter, to take his mind off Genis, and began to read:

_Lloyd,_

_I am happy to hear that you are happy and well. Yes, I would say the feelings you have for Colette are just like the ones I had for your mother. It's okay, I don't mind talking about that with you since you are my son. As for the dream...well, I am not certain, but it does seem to be an omen. People suffer a lot in dream-omens, and the way you described it made it sound like Raine and Genis were really suffering horribly. I share your concern for them...in fact, I was thinking of coming to Symphonia anyway, to visit you if for no other reason. What can I say, other than that I've missed you too? I would like nothing more than to help with Genis and Raine if there is anyway I can. Yuan told me, as I was writing this, that some of his Renegades had been in contact with him and told him that your friend is missing and that Raine is in Triet. I don't know what's going on, but I don't like the sound of it. See you soon, Lloyd. Meet me at Luin tomorrow at noon and we can catch up. Feel free to bring Colette with you if you want to._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Colette smiled, having been looking over Lloyd's shoulder, "See? He's missed you too, and he's even told you where and when to meet him! Isn't it great, Lloyd? You got your wish." She hugged him.

Lloyd smiled, "Yeah...but he's not coming back just to see me. He's come to help us look for Genis. He even mentioned that you could come along."

Colette nodded, "With his angelic senses, he should be a lot of help. Hmm,that was sweet of him...let's finish dinner, then go back to Iselia. Okay, Lloyd?"

Lloyd replied, "Sounds like a plan to me." He finished his food, then stood up.

Colette quickly finished her food as well and stood up next to Lloyd, holding his hand.

The couple left the restaurant and went back to Iselia.

* * *

A/N: I tried my best to make this chapter end on a happy note. Poor Genis! I REALLY didn't want to do that to him, but it will make him a stronger character in the end. **Shrugs** Anyway, Chapter 2 will be up soon. Later! 


	3. Chapter 2 Finding Genis

Disclaimer: See the Prologue

A/N: Sorry it's been so long. I'm at college and don't have a whole lot of spare time. And what spare time I do have is usually spent doing class work, going to activities, checking e-mail, or updating.

Tales of Symphonia

Chapter 2

Finding Genis

Raine yawned as she woke up in the inn at Triet. It was around 5:00 in the morning. She looked to Tara, who was already dressed and ready to go, "Good morning."

Tara smiled, "Good morning. Are you ready to go to Iselia?"

Raine nodded, "Yes, I am." She got up and went over to the chair near the bed. She put on her orange robe and looked at Tara, "After I eat something, that is."

Tara replied, "Okay then, I will wait for you." She left the room.

After eating a light breakfast of milk and toast, Raine headed down the steps and met Tara in the front lobby, "Shall we go then?"

Tara nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

Raine and Tara traveled for the better part of the day.

Upon arriving at Iselia, Raine fell to her knees. She hoped Lloyd was somewhere close, for that would make it easier to tell him what had happened.

Lloyd saw Raine in the distance and gasped as she fell, "Professor Sage!" He ran over to her, Colette following close behind him, "What happened?"

Raine replied, "We were…attacked by someone who hates half-elves…she hurt me badly, poisoned me…and took Genis away…" She coughed, "I'm sorry…I should've done more to protect him."

Lloyd sighed, "It's not your fault, Professor. I'm sure you did everything you could." He glanced at the sun momentarily. It looked to be about 11:30 in the morning, "Uh-oh…I'm supposed to be in Luin in half an hour! I'll catch you later, okay, Professor?"

Raine sighed, "Wait, Lloyd…why are you going to Luin?"

Lloyd told her, "I already knew Genis was gone…and Kratos is coming back to help us look for him. You just go and get some rest, okay?" He looked at Tara, who was standing behind Raine, "How…how much longer does she have?"

Tara replied, "She has approximately 3 days before the poison will enter her bloodstream. After that…it'll be 24 hours before it enters her heart…" She sighed, "I've done everything I can to slow its progress though. I gave her a Panacea Bottle last night."

Colette nodded, "Thank you for everything you've done. Now….who are you?"

Tara responded, "I'm Tara Lian, a doctor. I took care of Raine while she was at the clinic in Luin."

Raine looked at Lloyd, "That's the last place I saw Genis too. You might start your search there."

Lloyd nodded, "I'm going to Luin anyway to meet Kratos. I'll tell him and we can ask around if anyone's seen him."

Colette told Lloyd, "I'm coming too, okay, Lloyd?"  
Lloyd smiled and nodded, "Sure, Colette." He took her hand and squeezed it, then looked towards the entrance. Someone else was coming.

Sheena walked up, "Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I heard that Genis was missing. The Mizuho Information Network is already working on locating where he is being held, but…well; I wanted to help find him, for old time's sake." She noticed that Lloyd and Colette were holding hands and grinned, saying, "Wow, you really are getting serious, aren't you?"

Lloyd blinked, blushing a light pink, "Well, I—uhhh—how did you know, Sheena?"

Regal laughed as he also walked in, a strange, but welcome sound to the group, "Oh, please Lloyd, your feelings for Colette are as obvious as the bright red shirt you wear." His shackles were gone, for he had promised Presea and everyone else that he would remove them once the worlds were saved.

Lloyd grumbled inaudibly, "So…everyone's here, huh?"

Presea spoke from the distance, "That is incorrect at the moment. We are missing Kratos."

Colette spoke, "Yeah, but we're meeting him in Luin, Presea. It's good to see all of you again." She smiled.

Sheena nodded, smiling back at the blonde Chosen, "Good to see you too, Colette. Anyway, let's get going to Luin. I'm sure Kratos is getting impatient with us."

Presea gave a real smile and nodded, "Yes, it is good to see all of you as well." She sighed and gave a small frown, "Genis…does not deserve to be treated like this."

Regal nodded, "Agreed, Presea. We shall save him though."

Raine told them, "I…will stay here. For one thing, I'm poisoned and hurt. I would just slow down your progress."

Sheena gasped, "Raine? You're poisoned? How?"

Raine replied, "The girl who took Genis also poisoned me. Does Mizuho have a potion to cure it?"

Sheena nodded her head, "Yeah…why don't I take you to Mizuho? Lloyd, you and the others go and meet Kratos while I take Raine, all right?"

Lloyd replied, "Okay, sure, sounds like a plan to me. You'll meet us there once you're done in Mizuho though, right?"

Raine responded, "Count on it."

Sheena nodded and looked at Tara, "And who's this?"

Tara smiled and nodded, "I'm Tara Lian, Raine's doctor from Luin."

Sheena told her respectfully, "Nice to meet you, doctor. Do you wish to come to Mizuho with us?"

Tara shrugged, "I don't know. Would you have any use for me there?"

Raine told her, "Well…I guess not. You can go back to Luin with Lloyd and the others, I guess. The medicine man in Mizuho could take care of my poison and wounds. Thank you for everything."

Tara gave a bit of a smile, "You're welcome, Raine. If you ever need anything, feel free to stop by my home. It's not that far from the inn."

Raine smiled back, "I will."

Tara nodded and went to catch up with Lloyd and the others.

Raine and Sheena went to Mizuho.

Lloyd and company arrived at Luin a few hours later.

Kratos was waiting for them outside of the inn.

Lloyd gasped, "Dad!" He ran at Kratos and gave him an almost rib-crushing hug.

Everyone else laughed a bit, though they were all glad to see Lloyd so happy.

Kratos smiled and put one arm around Lloyd, returning his embrace loosely, "Good to see you too, Lloyd. So, do we have any idea of where to start looking for Genis?"

Presea spoke up, "Raine told us to check at the inn here in town. That is the last place she saw him."

Regal and the others all nodded their heads in agreement, though not in unison.

Kratos told them, "Then let us ask the innkeeper. Raine and Genis most likely stayed the night at the inn and I'm sure she knows something. Let us go to the inn."

Lloyd let go of Kratos and nodded his head, "Yeah, let's find out what we can about where Genis is."

Presea nodded her head, "We shall rescue him. I…should've gone with them. Genis offered, but…well, I was helping Regal with something."

Lloyd walked over to the pink-haired ax girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Knowing Genis, he won't blame you at all, Presea. We all want to find him, and we will."

Presea looked up at Lloyd, giving a small hopeful smile, "Yes, we will find him, and bring whoever did this to him and to Raine to justice."

Shanna, who was now just casually walking through the town, had overheard the mention of Genis and gave a bit of a squeal.

Kratos caught the sound and turned to face her, "Is there some problem?"

Shanna replied, "Uhm…err…well, I…I might know where your friend is." She seemed to want to help them, yet she also seemed hesitant to.

Presea glared and yelled at her, "If you know where he is, then tell us!"

Regal placed a hand on Presea's shoulder, "Calm down, Presea. Yelling at her won't help our cause at all."

Lloyd sighed, "Then please…tell us where he is, or show us. He's our friend and we don't want to see anything bad happen to him."

Shanna told them, looking at the ground, "Something…already has. He's still alive, but…well, he's being beaten as we speak, by someone I was paid to work with named Hexa. She…she had me…" She stopped herself, shaking her head. She couldn't speak of it now. If she did, they'd kill her without hesitation, "Never mind. Let me show you the way to where he is being held."

Colette spoke up, "Shouldn't we wait for the Professor and Sheena? We promised we would."

Lloyd looked at Shanna, "How long will you be in town?"

Shanna told him, "At least three more days. Surely your friends will be here before that."

Kratos nodded, "I'm sure they'll be back within those three days. Why don't you meet us at the inn and we can all leave from there once the Professor and Sheena get here?"

Presea told the seraphic mercenary, giving a nod, "That is a sound plan, Kratos. We shall stay here."

Lloyd told Shanna, "All right, since the consensus seems to be to wait for the Professor and Sheena, we will. Don't forget where to meet us. If you were lying, and you really have no idea where Genis is…well, let's just say I won't be the only one who you'll have to worry about." He looked over at Presea, then back at her.

Shanna nodded her head, "I'll meet you there then. I'm sorry for everything that has happened. I always seem to get mixed up in the wrong thing."

Kratos told her, "That is no one's fault but your own. If you really wish to become a better person, you must examine your inner self and mind then ask yourself, 'Is this who I really want to be? What can I do to better myself and those around me?' I struggled with my own self-acceptance after battling Lloyd in Ymir Forest. However, by asking myself these same questions, I was able to move on from that and become the father I was meant to be to him…no matter how late in his life I came."

Shanna walked a bit away then turned to face him, "You have NO IDEA what I'm feeling right now. You aren't carrying the child of Tethe'alla's Chosen….oops."

Kratos blinked, "Zelos…actually fathered a child?"

Regal looked bewildered, "When did he have time to do THAT?"

Lloyd shook his head, "Too much information….same question as Regal though."

Colette covered her ears, "My virgin ears!" ((A/n: I had to put that in there.))

Shanna sighed, "It was a week or two before he died, in Flanoir. I told him how much Gald I needed in order to let him…ummm…"

Colette cut her off, getting uncomfortable, "I'm going to the inn. You all have a nice chat." She took off running, not wanting to hear anymore. ((A/N: Poor little Colette. XD))

Lloyd blinked, "Colette, wait!" He followed her.

Presea sighed, "…So, if I am understanding you correctly, Zelos paid you to…"

Regal finished the sentence, "She sold herself to Zelos. That's a better way of saying it. When did you find out you were going to have a child?"

Shanna answered him, "About a month after he died. I didn't know the gender of the baby until a few weeks ago. I'm going to have a little boy."

Kratos nodded, "Good for you. You are still in trouble. You said you did something to Genis. What is it that you did?"

Shanna glared daggers at him, "I don't have to tell you. You're lucky I'm showing you where he is." She punched him in the jaw, then turned and ran away.

Kratos went flying from the punch, hitting the wall of the inn.

Presea rushed over to Kratos, "Are you all right, Kratos?"

Everyone followed her.

Kratos looked at Presea, "I'm fine. I think all that was injured was my pride."

Regal nodded upon hearing this, "That's good. Let us go inside then. It is getting late and we need to rest up in case Sheena and the Professor arrive tomorrow."

Presea nodded too and got up, "Good idea, Regal."

Regal offered Kratos a hand, literally.

Kratos took the former convict's hand and pulled himself to his feet, "Then let us rest. I will see you all tomorrow." He headed into the inn and paid for five rooms, to give everyone their own personal space.

Presea and everyone else also went into the inn, to the rooms.

Once everyone was in their own rooms, they all went to sleep.

The next morning, Kratos was the first one up, and went around to all five rooms to wake everyone else up.

Once everyone was up, they ate breakfast as a group. Regal had made them all pancakes and sausage.

Regal commented, after swallowing his pancakes, "Let's hope this Shanna person was not jerking us around about knowing where Genis is."

Presea glared hard at her sausage, stabbing it purposely with her fork, "If she did, she will experience a fate worse than death."

Kratos blinked, then nodded, "Yes, she will, Presea. We're all worried about him, but why are you overly so?" He gave a bit of a smirk.

Presea blushed a light pink, a rather cute sight, "Well, I…ahh…he's my friend. Should I not be that worried about him?"

Colette smiled, "If he were just your friend, you'd be worried about him the same amount we are, but you are overly worried. What Kratos is asking is if you love him…I think…"

Presea blushed redder, "Well, I…ummm…I don't know. He does spark a certain kind of feeling."

Lloyd smiled at her, "It's okay to feel that way. What you feel for Genis is probably…the same thing I feel for Colette." He blushed a light pink and scratched his neck as he said this.

Colette blushed, "Uhm…yeah, and I feel the same for Lloyd." She smiled at the red clad hero and took his hand, squeezing it gently.

Lloyd squeezed her hand back.

Kratos cleared his throat, "All right you two, you've made your point. Presea, before you say anything, don't be afraid of these feelings. They are completely natural."

Presea sighed, "But…I feel like I'd be betraying the memory of my sister…and he is much younger than I am."

Regal looked to her, "Weren't you the one telling me that I should move on? Now you must do the same. Your sister would want your happiness more than anything. If that means dating someone who is younger than you, then she would not try to stop you if she were alive. Nor will any of us try to discourage you."

Lloyd laughed a bit, "Yeah, Genis's crush on you was no secret, Presea. After we rescue him and get he fixed up and everything, you should talk to him."

Presea nodded, "I will."

Kratos looked out the window, "I hear something…footsteps. Everyone stay alert." He walked toward the front door.

A moment later, he opened it and took out his sword in one swift motion, pointing it at the person's throat.

Sheena threw her hands in the air, "Whoa, Kratos! You can put that down now…sheesh!"

Raine sighed and shook her head, "Yes, please relax, Kratos."

Kratos sheathed his sword, sighing, "Sorry about that. It's a reflex."

Sheena smiled, "No problem…just don't go pulling your sword on me again or I might have to sic Celsius on your butt."

Lloyd smirked, "Try to Sheena, and I will give you pain you will never forget."

Colette giggled, "She wasn't serious, Lloyd. You know that."

Lloyd then looked at Raine, "How are you feeling Professor?"

Raine told them, "I'm feeling well. Thank you, Lloyd. So, are we going to find Genis?"

Kratos nodded, "Indeed. There's a girl here that knows where Genis is, that is not the innkeeper. She…is carrying Zelos's child and told us she was forced to do something to Genis but did not say what."

Raine glared slightly, "….Take me to her. I'll massacre her!"

Lloyd gulped, "Easy, Professor. She has to show us where to go before you do that."

Regal looked to Raine, "Calm down, Raine. As Lloyd said, before you do anything to her, she must show us Genis's location."

Raine fell silent and nodded, brooding silently.

Sheena sighed, "Let's just go before Raine decides to take her anger out on US." She walked out of the inn, and saw Shanna standing there, "Hey, there. Are you the girl that's gonna show us where Genis is, and the one who poisoned the Professor?"

Shanna blinked, but nodded, "Yeah, but...owwwww!"

Everyone came running out at her shout.

Lloyd blinked, "Oi, Sheena…you really let her have it, didn't you?"

Raine sighed, "And you said _I_ have no self-control?" She walked over to Shanna and healed her jaw, using her healing arts, "There. Now, show us where Genis is, or this staff will be slammed into your forehead."'

Lloyd looked at Shanna, "Yeah, show us where he is."

Shanna nodded her head and stood to her feet, "Right then follow me." She led Lloyd and company out of the town and approximately 10 miles north of Luin, "About 4 miles of east of here, you will see a small, cave-like house. That's where Genis is being held by an acquaintance, Hexa. I don't know…what she's doing to him now, but…well, I know what she had me do."

Kratos glared, "And just what was that? You'd better tell us or we'll find out from your employer."

Shanna gasped, "Wait a second, I never said Hexa was…you figured that out on your own, didn't you? Exactly who and what are you?"

Kratos replied, "I was a mercenary at one time, and know that I never revealed any client information to anyone, not for any price."

Shanna sighed, "Figured as much. Whatever, you all know where Genis is, so you can let me go now, right?"

Presea shook her head, "Not until you have told us what you did to Genis."

Sheena looked at Shanna, "We've all done things that we aren't proud of, Shanna. Why not just tell us? Hmmm?"

Regal nodded, "Your freedom will only come when you have told us what all has happened to Genis."

Lloyd added his voice to the persuasion too, "Yeah, just tell us. Believe me, I've done some major things in my time that I'm really not proud of. Like Sheena said, we all have. Come on, please tell us."

Shanna sighed, "Well, all right…but first, you have to promise you won't harm me once I have told you."

Kratos nodded his head, "Agreed."

Lloyd replied, "Okay…I won't, despite the fact that Genis is my friend."

Colette smiled, "I won't hurt you, Shanna. That's a promise."

Sheena sighed and nodded, "All right, I guess. I've already hurt you as much as I want to anyway. I promise."

Regal responded, "All right, I won't hurt you." He looked at Presea and Raine, who were being quiet, "Presea…Raine…?"

Presea shook her head, "I can't promise anything like that. Will you tell us anyway though?"

Raine commented, "Same here."

Shanna nodded, "As long as the majority of you promise, one or two people not saying the promise is fine. Anyway, regarding Genis…." She sighed then continued, "He was first beaten, by, as Kratos said my employer Hexa. She used one of her more lethal whips, one with spikes and made of hard leather. After that…she gave him to me and wanted me find some way to break his spirit. Hexa told me that it was the best way, so…I raped him…"

Raine gasped, "You…you monster!" She lunged at Shanna with her staff, but Kratos held her back.

Kratos told her, "She'll get hers soon enough, Raine. Relax…." He looked at Shanna in disgust, glaring slightly, "I hope you enjoyed him." His eyes had a hostile glint in them that no one had seen since the Desians had been sealed away.

Shanna's eyes welled up with tears, "I didn't enjoy it in the least! You don't understand! I don't share the hatred of half-elves that my employer does!"

Lloyd sighed, "Maybe not, but you still could've fought back…or gotten him to a doctor, or something! You're a coward who can't stand up for her beliefs when put under pressure!" He looked at Sheena and the others, "Let's go."

Sheena nodded.

Presea began trembling with rage, and launched herself at Shanna, punching her relentlessly on the face. She made sure not to hit anywhere near her stomach, for she knew that the woman carried Zelos's baby, "…" She was then spooked by some strange look in the woman's eye and squeaked, jumping off. She looked like she might start crying from fear.

Regal blinked, "Presea?" He walked over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, "What's wrong?"

Presea looked up at him, "That look…in her eyes…it was such a lost look. It was like…she was looking for a reason to live, other than the baby inside her. I'm…afraid for her now."

Kratos turned to look at Presea, "Is it safe to leave her alone?"

Presea nodded, "For now, it is. When we come back, though, we should turn her and Hexa in to the authorities."

Lloyd told everyone, "Let's go…for all we know, Hexa could be torturing Genis as we speak." He took off; running the direction Shanna had told them.

Everyone else followed.

About 20 minutes later, they found themselves at the house that Shanna had described.

Lloyd sighed, "Well, here we are. Why…why am I so uneasy about going in?"  
Kratos told him, "You are likely anticipating something…." He trailed off, hearing Genis cry out, "never mind, let's go." He headed into the house and saw Hexa raising the whip, about to strike Genis with it again.

Lloyd and the others were following close behind.

Genis had heard Kratos's footsteps and looked toward the door, "K-kratos?! Is that you? Aaah!" He screamed as the whip came down, hurting him.

Kratos nodded his head, "Indeed." He couldn't help but flinch as the whip came down again. He then glared at Hexa, "Stop this madness!"

Hexa was raising the whip, "No, I won't!" She was bringing it down again, when she saw Kratos standing there, "You idiot. Get out of the way!"

Kratos shook his head in a silent no.

A second later, the whip, which was even more lethal than the one Hexa had used before on Genis (more spikes and slightly longer), was wrapped around tightly around Kratos's arm.

Hexa smirked, "Heh, that's what you get for interfering, blood traitor!" She yanked on the end of the whip.

Kratos bit his lip as the spikes tore up his flesh, but he didn't give her the satisfaction of crying out. He was too proud for that. Blood flowed freely onto his white sleeves, and he dropped to one knee. ((He's wearing the Judgment outfit now, just because I like it a lot. XP))

Lloyd gasped, "Dad!" He ran over to his father and stood by his side, "Stop! I won't let you hurt anyone else I care about!"

Hexa laughed, "I'd love to see you try, red boy." She grabbed two daggers from the wall and threw one at Kratos and one at Lloyd.

Lloyd called out, "Guardian!" A green bubble of mana surrounded him and Kratos, the daggers flipping away and harmlessly sticking in the ground near Sheena.

Sheena sighed, "That was way too close. Lloyd, is Kratos okay?"

Lloyd looked at the seraph that was still bleeding badly. He tore a sleeve from his shirt and tied it tightly around the wound, "I'm not sure. He's bleeding pretty badly."

Raine looked at Presea, "I will go and heal Kratos as much as I can while you and Regal cover me. Okay?"

Presea nodded, "That plan makes sense. We shall keep Hexa distracted." She took her ax out and threw it just over Hexa's head.

Hexa yelled, "Ya! Watch where you're throwing that, small fry, you could take someone's eye out!" She walked over towards Presea.

Presea grabbed her ax out of the wall and began the job of distracting Hexa.

Regal helped Presea keep her distracted.

Sheena also helped.

Raine went over to Lloyd and Kratos. She looked at the seraphim, "Are you okay, other than your arm?"

Kratos nodded, "I think so."

Raine gently removed Lloyd's temporary bandage and gently placed her staff at Kratos's elbow, since the wounds covered his entire arm. She began healing him.

Lloyd gasped, "Watch out! Guardian!" A green bubble of mana came up to protect them again, "Regal, watch your aim!"

Regal gave a brisk nod, "Sorry." He went back to fighting.

Raine sighed, "Well, I've done everything I can, Kratos. Your arm isn't fully healed, but I've at least gotten the bleeding to stop. If you don't strain yourself, it should fully heal up by tomorrow morning."

Hexa was now bloody and unconscious, lying on the ground near Regal.

Regal looked at Lloyd, Kratos, and Raine, "Shall we take her back to Luin?"

Genis, meanwhile, was softly crying on the ground, "…I'm…I'm so glad you guys came for me. I was afraid…you'd never find me…" He whispered between sobs.

Kratos got to his feet after Raine bound up his injured arm and walked over to the tied-up half-elf, "But we did, Genis, and we will get you to a doctor. You're safe now."

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah…its okay, Genis." He walked over to the half-elven boy and gave him a gentle hug as he untied him, "We heard about what happened…I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner."

Raine sighed and walked over too, "I'm sorry, Genis…I should've fought harder."

Genis shook his head slightly, "It's…it's okay…sis…you did everything that…you could." The youngest Sage sibling passed out, nearly hitting the ground since he had been tied to a statue, and Lloyd had untied him.

Kratos moved so that Genis would land on his back, "Come, let us go back to Luin. Raine, will you contact your doctor friend, Tara?"

Raine nodded, "Sure…" She stroked her younger brother's silvery hair affectionately, worried for him.

Regal spoke, "Raine, I think Genis will need all of us a lot over the next few days. When we take Hexa and Shanna to the authorities, they may ask him questions about what happened…"

Colette nodded, "Yeah, Regal's right. We need to stay close to Genis for a while."

Lloyd sighed, "But what if he doesn't let us? What if he tries to push us away, saying that he can deal with those things himself? We can't exactly tie him down and keep him here. Goodness knows, his skin is already raw enough from the ropes that kept him here…"

Sheena finally spoke again, "If he tries to push us away, we can tell him that we care about him too much to let him try to make it through something this catastrophic without help. We're his friends and whether he admits it or not, he needs us."

Regal nodded, "Wise words, Sheena. Let's head back to Luin then." He walked out of the house and headed that direction.

Presea soon followed him.

Lloyd and company followed them.


	4. Chapter 3 Genis's Recovery Period

Disclaimer: See the Prologue

Chapter 3

Restoration of Spirit and Recovery

Raine sighed as she gently tended to her brother's injuries. The boy hadn't spoken a word to her or anyone else since they had arrived back in Luin the previous night. She finally asked him, "Genis…is there something you need to talk about?"

Genis shrugged and answered, sniffling a bit, "Not…really."

Raine hugged him gently, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I failed to protect you and for all that has happened."

Genis sobbed quietly into his sister's shoulder, then told her between sobs, "its okay…sis. What happened…wasn't your fault."

Kratos walked in silently at that moment, then added, "He's right, Raine. You've got to stop blaming yourself."

Raine sighed and nodded, "I know you're right, it's just that I feel bad about all of it. It makes me sick to think of what Shanna did. Genis didn't deserve to be treated like that. Nor did she really seem the type that hated half-elves, unlike Hexa."

Kratos nodded, "I agree, however, Genis is the more important one at the moment." He walked over and knelt down, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Genis pulled out of Raine's embrace and shrugged off Kratos's hand, "It's not like I'm dying or anything. It was a terrible thing that happened, but you don't have to dance on eggshells around me. Sheesh!" He stormed out of the room with tears of both anger and pain in his eyes.

Lloyd had been standing outside of the door and had heard everything. Sighing, he turned and made to follow Genis, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

Kratos told Lloyd, "Leave him be, Lloyd. There are some things that Genis is better left alone with."

Lloyd turned to look at his father, "But this isn't one of those things! Like Sheena said, we're his friends and whether he realizes it or not, Genis is gonna need us. I'm going to him now, Dad, so let go of me."

Kratos sighed and nodded, releasing Lloyd's shoulder, "I can see there's no stopping you. Just bear in mind that he may not say a lot to you. Raine and I could barely get him to say anything."

Lloyd told him, "That's because all he's done for the past 12 hours is talk about what happened. I think that what he needs now is to listen to loving and supporting words from all of us."

Raine nodded, "You're probably right, Lloyd. He'll also need encouraging words, though. Shanna also broke his spirit."

Lloyd responded, "I know that. I have an idea how we can all contribute to fixing that though. (A/N: Wow…Lloyd had an idea! XD) Sheena, Regal, and I can give him the encouragement he needs. Raine, you and Presea can tell him how much he's still loved and everything. Dad, you can tell him anything supportive that you want to say to him. That way, he can know that he's got plenty of support from more than one source. No offense, Raine."

Raine gave a small smile and shrugged, "None taken. So, then, who wants to talk to Genis first?"

Kratos answered, "You and Presea should speak to him first. You two mean the most to him, after all. Sheena, Regal, and Lloyd can go after you two, and I will speak to him last."

Raine nodded, "All right, I'll go find Presea and we will talk to him." She found Presea on the balcony, watching the people of Luin as they went about their daily business below her, "Presea? Can I ask you something?"

Presea turned and looked up at Raine, nodding her head, "Yes, you may."

Raine said, "Well, I was talking to Lloyd and Kratos a few minutes ago and we decided that it would be best if you and I were to talk to Genis, to let him know that he's still loved. So, will you?"

Presea gave a small smile and nodded, "Yes, I will."

Raine smiled back, "Then let's go and talk to him."

The two women found Genis sitting in a chair inside the inn, in the lobby. He was crying his eyes out and the innkeeper was trying to console him.

Presea told the woman, "We will take it from here, miss. You can go back to your duties."

The woman nodded, "Thank you, little girl." She got up and went back to the front desk.

Presea went to sit next to Genis, ignoring the 'little girl' comment. She gave him a gentle hug and told him quietly, "I…I love you, Genis, and always will. No matter what happens."

Genis looked at her and gave a small smile, the first he had in days, "I…I—I love you too, Presea." He sniffled again and began crying once more.

Raine sighed and walked over to the two. She told Genis, "I love you too, Genis, but obviously in a different way than Presea. I'll never abandon you."

Genis looked up at his sister and nodded, tears still streaming down his face, "Yeah, you too, sis."

Raine knelt down and hugged Genis, who returned the embrace.

Genis was starting to feel better, but he still felt slightly discouraged. He got up and went upstairs.

Raine sighed then smiled a little bit, remembering that Kratos and Lloyd had 'sneaked' upstairs earlier by flying in through the window. Sheena and Regal were also upstairs. Genis would not be left alone with his pain.

Sheena was the first to speak to Genis once she, Regal and Lloyd were all in the room, "Hey, Genis. None of what happened is your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah, and don't think you're worthless or dirty because that happened. You're not. You're the best friend a guy could ask for." He smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Genis gulped a bit then nodded, "Thanks, Lloyd…" He got up and hugged his best friend, tears in his eyes, "You're my best friend, too."

Regal added, "Genis, you must never think of yourself as worth any less than you are. We all care about you and what happens to you. You're worth more than any precious jewel."

Genis smiled at Regal, releasing Lloyd as he looked up at the Bryant, "Thank you, Regal, Sheena, and Lloyd. I was feeling pretty lousy." He got slightly angry and said, "I wanna use Meteor Storm on Hexa for what she made Shanna do to me." (A/N: This is an inside joke, so if you don't get it, that's okay. Reader who brought this on, you know who you are. 'Genis cast Meteor storm in his sleep?' Does that ring a bell?)

Lloyd sighed, "Yeah, we're pretty mad about it too. Why don't you go talk to my dad really fast? He has a few things that he wants to say to you too."

Genis nodded and left the room, nearly running into Kratos, who was standing just outside of the door. Blinking, he stopped just short and told Kratos, "Oh, hi. You…wanted to talk to me?"

Kratos answered the question, "Yes, I did. Let's go outside."

Genis finished, "Okay."

The two headed outside of the inn, stopping at the fountain near the outskirts of Luin.

Kratos finally spoke, "Genis…I have only a few things to say to you. First and foremost, this was not your fault. Secondly, even if it may not seem like it at times, Raine, Lloyd, I, and all of the others will always be there to back you up in whatever you do. Lastly, I think you must deal with this in your own way."

Genis gave a small smile then went up to Kratos and hugged him around the waist, "Thanks, Kratos. That really means a lot. Is it too much for me to ask for some space?"

Kratos shook his head, tentatively returning Genis's embrace with one arm, "Not at all." He released the half-elven boy, who also let go, and went back to the inn, leaving Genis alone at the fountain.

Lloyd greeted Kratos when he came in the door, "Hey, Kratos. Where's Genis?"

Kratos responded, "He is at the fountain. He requested some space."

Lloyd sighed, "Dad…are you sure it's okay to leave him alone like that? I mean, I really don't think we should…he needs to know that he's not alone, especially after what just happened…"

Kratos touched Lloyd's arm, comfortingly, "He knows, Lloyd. Trust me on this. He'll come to us when he's ready. We mustn't force the issue, or he'll just pull away from us all together."

Lloyd replied, "I guess you're right. I'm just so angry about all of it. Why did it have to be _Genis_ of all people?" He started to get very upset.

Kratos sighed, collecting his disgruntled teenage son into his arms, in a loose hug, "I don't know, Lloyd. I guess that fate is just fickle sometimes."

Colette walked in just then, "I hate to break up a father-son moment, guys, but Genis is back and he wants to talk to all of us."

Kratos nodded, "Thank you, Colette." He slowly released Lloyd from his embrace.

Lloyd responded, wiping a couple of angry tears from his eyes, lifting his head from Kratos's chest, and looking over at Colette, "Coming Colette. Thanks."

Colette nodded and soon went back downstairs.

Kratos and Lloyd followed her.

Genis began to speak once everyone was in the lobby, "I…umm, just wanted to say thank you all for the support and everything. I don't know what…" He trailed off, starting to cry a bit, but he managed to finish his sentence "I'd do without all of you."

He then broke down crying.

Raine was the first to get up and go over to him, sitting next to him and letting him cry onto her shoulder. Though no words were spoken, one could tell that it was going to be a long night for the Sage siblings.

Presea walked over to them and stood in front of the couch, taking Genis's free hand and squeezing it gently. She was helping Genis too, lending him her strength by just being there to hold his hand.

Lloyd went up to stand behind the couch, placing a hand on Genis's right shoulder. He simply told him, "We'll never leave you, Genis. Ever."

Regal also went over. He stood to the left of Raine, "My strength is yours for as long as you need it."

Kratos walked up behind the couch as well, standing next to Lloyd and placing his hand on Genis's other shoulder, saying nothing.

Sheena went and stood to the right of Genis, "I'm here for you, Genis."

Genis gulped, finally collecting himself enough to speak, "Thank you, everyone…" He collapsed onto Raine's lap, having worn himself out crying.

Lloyd looked at Raine, "Is he…going to be all right, Professor?"

Raine smiled, a real smile this time, "Yes, Lloyd. His spirit is slowly beginning to mend. We should all get to bed though. It's getting rather late. Good night, everyone." She picked up Genis and went up to a room.

Kratos paid the innkeeper for three rooms. He would sleep in the same room as Lloyd and Regal. Sheena, Presea, and Colette would also share a room, and the Sage siblings would obviously share a room.

Everyone went to their rooms and went to bed.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chapter 3 is done! Stay tuned for Chapter 4. 


	5. Chapter 4 Aiden Wilder and Proposal

Disclaimer: See the Prologue

Chapter 4

Aiden Wilder and Lloyd's Proposal

A few days later, in the relatively new Luin Prison, Shanna gave birth to a little boy, and named him Aiden Wilder, giving him the same last name as his father. The boy had red hair and gray eyes, though he had Zelos's pale complexion. Afterwards, she was released early from prison in order to take care of the infant. A guard accompanied her at all times to make sure that she didn't try to hurt anyone.

However, she once managed to escape the guard and dashed off for the adoption agency, to drop off Aiden. She was going to kill herself for what she had done to Genis. In her eyes, she had committed the ultimate sin by stealing something as personal and valuable as his virginity, and deserved no less than death as her punishment. Kissing the young infant on the forehead, she placed him in the arms of the lady and told her, "You'll…take good care of Aiden, won't you?"

The lady smiled, "Of course we will. He's an adorable boy." She asked, "I'm curious though. Why don't you want him?"

She didn't want to reveal her true plans, so she told a little white lie, "Because…his father was abusive toward me and every time I look at him, I see him. Surely you can understand that." She then silently added, "Sorry Zelos."

The lady blinked, "Oh…okay. Yeah, I understand that." She smiled, "We'll take good care of your son, ma'am. Good luck with everything."

Shanna smiled back, though it was close to a smirk, "Heh thanks." She then ran out of the adoption agency, still eluding her guard. She left Luin and headed for the Fooji Mountains. Once there, she went up to the highest point, ready to throw her over the edge.

Kratos had secretly followed her, having had a suspicion shortly after they had turned her and Hexa in that she might try something like this. He sighed and walked up behind her, "This won't solve anything, you know. Once you're dead, you can't make up for what you did to Genis. You also have a child that needs you."

Shanna sighed, "Maybe, but…it's so horrible that Genis had to experience what he did. He's so young! I totally messed up his life…death would be an appropriate punishment for a crime like that, yes?" Without another word, she stepped closer to the edge.

Kratos grabbed her arm, glaring, "I am NOT going to let you do this. Your child will be without parents and I am not about to let you throw the rest of your life away!"

Shanna wriggled free, "I won't let a heartless bastard like you stop me! You have no idea what I'm struggling with right now!" She yelled, "I can't ever go home! The only person I ever cared about in any way is dead, and I totally messed up another person's life! Leave me here to die…"

Kratos shook his head, "No, I won't. Lloyd told me something about 4 or 5 months ago that I think may help you. At least hear these words. After that…" He sighed, "Well, it's your decision what to do, but it made me realize how much he truly cared and that I still had a place in this world." He took a breath and then told her, "When you die, that's the end. There is no meaning in dying."

Shanna began to tremble, sobs wracking her body, "Wow…but, no one cares about me anymore! Zelos is dead…you and your friends certainly don't care about what happens to me…so what is left for me here?"

Kratos sighed, "You can only make things up to us if you live to apologize and make amends for what you've done. Dying won't solve anything. Come back to the Luin Prison of your own volition, or I will take you back there by force. It is your decision. Also, take care of your child. He became your responsibility the moment he was born."

Shanna sighed, wiping tears away with the back of her hand, "All right…fine, I'll go back." She headed back down the mountains and Kratos followed her to make sure she didn't turn around.

Kratos escorted her back to the adoption agency to pick up Aiden and then back to Luin Prison. He then headed back to Iselia, to check and see what Lloyd and Colette were doing. It was rather late by this time, but he was curious.

Lloyd was lying on the ground, looking up at the stars. He sighed contentedly as he sat up behind Colette. He placed his arms around her shoulders in a loose hug, "So, Colette…how's Frank?"

Colette replied, "Oh, my father's doing well. Thank you, Lloyd. And how are both of your fathers?"

Lloyd shrugged, "Doing all right. I think Dad had something to take care of though. He seemed a little on edge when we turned in Hexa and Shanna. Dirk, well, he's retiring from making crafted items…said it had something to do with getting older." He chuckled a bit at this.

Colette smiled and giggled a little, "Well, time waits for no man, so the saying goes." She leaned back against Lloyd's chest, turning her head so she could listen to his strong heartbeat and sighing contentedly. She then gave a slight yawn, Lloyd's heartbeat relaxing her.

Lloyd smiled, "Yeah, that's true." He wrapped his arms around Colette's middle, taking her into a loose embrace.

Kratos was standing quietly in the background for now, not saying a word. He didn't want to disturb them, but he needed to let them know what was going on with Shanna at some point. He gave a small smile at how happy they seemed. It reminded him of the four happy years that he and Anna had while running from the Desians. They had been difficult times, but also the happiest times in his life. He leaned back against a tree, continuing to watch over them.

Colette fell asleep soon after, lightly dozing against Lloyd.

Kratos sighed and walked up, "Lloyd…I am sorry to disturb you two, but I have some rather disturbing news about Shanna."

Lloyd blinked and looked up at him, "Oh…its okay. What's up?"

Kratos replied, "…She tried to kill herself by jumping over a cliff at the Fooji Mountains this morning. I stopped her, of course, but I can't be sure whether she will try again or not. I reminded her that she still had a child to care for…but that didn't phase her. I'm thinking we should give her a chance to apologize to Genis, as in, really apologize. She feels that guilty about it."

Colette woke up and asked, having halfway heard them since she was only dozing lightly, "Well…will Genis be okay to be in the same room as her? I mean…he might still be afraid of her."

Presea walked into the room just then and added, sighing, "Even if Genis is still frightened of her or dislikes her for what she did, we should still give her that chance. If she wants to kill herself for doing that to him, we have to do whatever we can to stop her, for Aiden's sake."

Lloyd sighed, "Yeah, good idea, Presea. We can't let Zelos's son suffer because of his mother's madness."

Raine came in as well, "No, we can't." She told them, "Enough children have suffered because of their parents' flaws…"

Colette asked Raine, "How is Genis doing, Professor Sage?"

Raine replied, "He's still sleeping, but I can easily wake him up. Lloyd, why don't you and your father go get Shanna and I will go and wake Genis?"

Lloyd nodded, "Sure that sounds like a plan." He whispered in Colette's ear to get her to let him get up, as she had been sitting in his lap by this time.

Colette blushed a little and nodded, standing up and stretching her arms slightly.

Lloyd picked up his swords and placed them back around his waist, then started to walk away. He turned back around, and looked to Colette.

Colette smiled and darted over, kissing him gently on the lips. After the kiss was broken, she told him, "Be careful as you go, Lloyd. Not all the monsters have disappeared yet."

Kratos finally spoke again, telling her, "Not to worry, Colette. He'll be well looked after, and I promise to bring him back to you in one piece." He looked to Lloyd, "Ready?"

Lloyd nodded and told him, "Yeah…I just hope Genis is able to forgive her…I'd hate to think of what Shanna will do if he doesn't."

Kratos sighed, "We'd best not think about that now. Come on." He walked off, Lloyd following him without a word.

Raine walked over to Colette, "Let's go and wake Genis up."

Regal walked in just then, "No need for that. I just did. He's been sleeping all day and it worries me."

Genis walked in, yawning and rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes, "Hey, sis, Colette. Where're Kratos and Lloyd?"

Colette replied, "Oh, umm…they'll be right back."

Raine told him, "They've gone to get Shanna, so she can apologize to you."

Genis sighed and nodded; fear causing uncomfortable knots to form in his stomach, "…I'm scared. What if she tries to do something else to me?"

Presea spoke again, "We'll all be here protecting you, Genis, so there's no need to worry." She walked over to Genis and gave him a small hug to make him feel more secure about being in a room with Shanna.

Genis blushed like a cherry, "Uh—umm, okay, P…Presea. Th…Thank you."

About 10 minutes later, Kratos and Lloyd came back with Shanna in tow. She was carrying Aiden, whom she had recently just retrieved from the adoption agency.

Shanna sighed, "This is a complete waste of time. There's no way he'll ever forgive me…I am beyond anyone's forgiveness."

Lloyd looked back at her, "Cut that crap, will ya? I've already forgiven you, as has Kratos. We know you feel bad about it, so I guess that made it easier."

Sheena stormed into the room behind the three, "What's this rumor I hear that Shanna tried to kill herself this morning?"

Kratos confirmed, "It's no rumor, Sheena. I was there. She did try to take her own life. I stopped her though."

Sheena looked at Shanna, "Dying won't solve anything, you know. It's just another form of running away from your problems. You can't just run from your problems though. You have to face them head on. You also have a child to think about now. How could you even consider it?"

Shanna sighed, "I'm just overwhelmed with guilt about what I did to Genis. I feel beyond anyone's forgiveness."

Sheena told her, "You shouldn't feel that way. You're never beyond forgiveness no matter what you've done, or attempted to do. Lloyd showed me that when he first accepted me into this group. Initially I was trying to kill Colette, but he still accepted me for who I was, even if I started out as his enemy. I've already forgiven you, Shanna. I think probably most of us have."

Raine nodded, "Yes…despite how much I don't want to, I have as well."

Regal added, "You are never beyond redemption, Shanna. I also have forgiven you of this crime…despite the fact that it is one of the sickest crimes you could ever commit."

Presea sighed and commented, "I have also forgiven you of this offense, for you are mother to the son of a man who was a dear friend to me. I didn't want to forgive you, initially, either, but I managed to find in my heart the courage to do so."

Genis went and sat down in a chair, "Okay…I'm listening, Shanna." His eyes were glued to the floor, for he was still slightly afraid.

Shanna went over and stood beside him, then knelt down to meet his eyes, "…Genis, I really am sorry. I didn't want to do that, but…it was either that or loses my life. If I had not done as she asked and died at that time, the baby that I now hold in my arms would've died too. Just think about that…"

Genis sighed and finally managed to meet her gaze. He told her, "…I…I forgive you, Shanna. That baby…he has the same skin tone and hair as Zelos. Did you two…?"

Raine answered his question, "…Zelos paid for her services relating to that, yes."

Genis blinked, a bit uncomfortable and surprised at the thought of Zelos 'doing the deed' with someone, "…Oh. When did he have time?"

Regal shrugged, "Who knows? The point is that it happened." He looked at Shanna, "Even Genis has forgiven you. I told you that you are never beyond redemption. Are you…feeling better now?"

Shanna stood up, tears rolling down her face. However, they were happy tears, not sad ones, "Yes. Thank you, everyone. I'll go and serve out the rest of my sentence now." She looked at Kratos, "You look like you know how to handle children. How about I name you Aiden's godfather and you can take care of him while I'm in prison?"

Kratos blushed a light pink at the sudden attention, "…Why me?"

Shanna replied, "Well, you were the one who stopped me from killing myself, and the first to reach out to me. I think it would be only appropriate if you cared for Aiden whenever I'm away. Please say you'll do it!"

Lloyd added his voice, "Yeah, Dad. You can do it! That way it'll be sort of like having two sons."

Kratos smirked, "Heh…true." He liked the prospect of having a second chance at being a real father to someone, but would Aiden accept him? He looked to Shanna, "All right, I'll do it."

Colette smiled, "Great, Kratos! So…wait, then how would Lloyd be related to Aiden?"

Raine told her, "That would make Lloyd his first cousin."

Shanna walked over to Kratos and placed the sleeping Aiden in his arms, telling him, "Well, I'm heading to the prison now. Take good care of Aiden. I'm counting on you and Lloyd. You guys are great!"

Regal spoke again, "Couldn't you just leave Aiden with your parents?"

Shanna sighed, "No, they didn't even know that I slept with men to make money. If they found out about Zelos…having sex with me and having Aiden, they'd probably disown me, because they are very strict traditionalists. They believe in sex only within the constraints of a marriage. They think sex outside marriage is a very shameful act and that one will get thrown into the fires of hell for it."

Lloyd blinked, "Oh…okay."

Shanna looked to Kratos, "I'm counting on you. Don't let anything happen to Aiden. Oh, here's his bag. It's got bottles and everything you'll need in there."

Kratos nodded and took the bag on his shoulder, "I promise to protect the boy with my life, as I would my own son, and to always be there for him." He smiled over at Lloyd as he said this.

Lloyd smiled back, "Yeah, you can count on my Dad. He never breaks a promise."

Shanna nodded, "Then goodbye for now. I'll be back to pick up Aiden once my sentence is served." A guard from the prison came to pick her up.

Presea spoke again, "I'm glad that you have found new purpose in your life, Shanna. As Lloyd said, 'No life should be born for the sole purpose of dying.' We'll see you again sooner than you think. If you keep good behavior, they might let you out early for that."

The guard spoke up, "All right, that's enough. Come with me, Shanna, unless you wish to put up a fight." He moved his spear ever so slightly.

Shanna gulped, "No…I won't fight you. I'll come quietly. Lead the way."

The guard nodded, bound her arms up, and led her away.

Aiden began crying at that moment.

Kratos gently rocked Aiden to try and calm him down. However, this didn't affect the young infant, and he tried feeding him. Finally, Aiden quieted down and began to suck on the nipple of the bottle, taking in the milk. After the bottle was half-empty, he fell asleep.

Sheena smirked, "Wow…you're just full of surprises, aren't you, Kratos?"  
Raine spoke, "It shouldn't be that much of a surprise. After all, he did have to help…Anna…when Lloyd was really small."

Kratos sighed slightly, closing his eyes at the mention of his dead wife, "Yes." He said simply then added, giving a sad smile. He quickly changed the subject, "Let's hope Aiden doesn't take after his father."

All the girls in the group were made a bit uncomfortable by what he said.

Sheena then finally said, "Yeah…we don't need another chauvinistic pervert in our group."

Lloyd let out a chuckle then commented, "I doubt it. He's not being brought up in the same environment as Zelos was, so he's bound to be very different."

Kratos spoke again, "You're right. He's being brought up in an environment where people actually care about him."

Colette walked over to Lloyd and whispered in his ear.

Lloyd blushed lightly then told her quietly, "Go on outside. I'll be there in a minute." He gave her a quick but passionate kiss then let her go.

Colette smiled and blew Lloyd a kiss from the door. She then went outside and shut the door behind her.

Regal blinked, "…Well, that was interesting."

Lloyd blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Uhh…yeah." He then fiddled around with something in his pocket.

Kratos noticed him fidgeting and asked, "Lloyd…are you planning to 'break the question' tonight?"

Lloyd blinked, "Well…yeah, how did you know?"

Sheena smiled, "You're acting really nervous. If Colette sees you like this, you'll make her nervous too." _Too bad it's not me, but I know it will make Lloyd happy. I'm more concerned about Lloyd's happiness than my own._

Raine told Lloyd, "Yes, it's best that you calm down before you ask her that, Lloyd. If you're uncomfortable, you'll make Colette uncomfortable."

Presea smiled, "Lloyd…I am happy for you and Colette."

Genis finally spoke again, managing to smile for his best friend's happy situation, "Yeah…me too. Even though I saw it coming for quite a while."

Regal told Genis, "Really, Genis, we all did. Lloyd's feelings for Colette were always obvious." He walked over and gently patted Lloyd on the back, "I'm happy for you as well. I can't think of a better match."

Kratos spoke again, "Now, go ask her, Lloyd. Are you feeling better about it now?"

Lloyd replied, "Yeah, I feel better about it. Less nervous and more confident." He hugged Kratos loosely and carefully so he wouldn't crush Aiden. After releasing his father and cousin from the hug, he told everyone, "Thanks for everything, guys. Oh, I made the ring by myself…well, mostly. Dirk found the diamond, but I made the band."

Regal asked, "…May we see it?"

Lloyd sighed, "Okay okay." He pulled the ring from his pocket.

It was a simple gold ring with a medium-sized blue diamond.

Raine gasped, "Wow…a blue diamond. Aren't those extremely rare?" Her eyes started to glaze over slightly. Gasp, she was entering Ruin Mode!

Sheena told Lloyd, "Better go propose to Colette with that before Raine starts taking it apart, piece by piece."

Kratos told him, "The band's got excellent craftsmanship, Lloyd. I'm impressed."

Lloyd shrugged, "Yeah well, it wasn't exactly hard…anyway, see you all later. I've got to go propose to Colette." He walked out of the room and outside, where Colette was waiting for him. He called out to her, "Hey! Colette!"

Colette blinked, "Oh, Lloyd…there you are. What took you so long?"

Lloyd replied, "I was just in there talking for a little while…sorry."

Colette smiled, "That's okay, Lloyd, at least you came."

Lloyd smiled back, "Yeah. Umm…Colette, could you turn around for a second?"

Colette blinked, then nodded, "Sure, okay. What's up?"

Lloyd walked over to her and took her hand in his and knelt down. He asked her, "Colette Brunel…will you do the honor of marrying me?" He was blushing a bit at this, as he took the ring from his pocket and slipped it on her finger.

Colette gasped at the beauty of the handcrafted ring. She smiled and nodded, "Yes, Lloyd Irving, I will!" She giggled, then hugged Lloyd tightly and sealed the whole affair with a passionate kiss.

When they broke the kiss, the couple headed back inside, greeted with only a warm smile by Kratos. Evidently, everyone else had tottered off to bed.

Kratos told Colette, "Welcome to the family, Colette." He yawned a bit then looked at Aiden, who was asleep for the night now, "I'm proud to call you my daughter-in-law."

Colette smiled, "Thank you, Kratos. I won't let you down. I'll take good care of Lloyd."

Kratos looked at both of them, "Lloyd, you must take care of Colette as well. You most both promise to me that you will always take care of each other and stick together through thick and thin."

Lloyd nodded, "I promise, Dad."

Colette replied, "Me too, Kratos. I won't ever leave Lloyd."

Kratos sighed and smiled, "Then the best of luck to you." He headed out of the room, carrying the still sleeping Aiden with him.

Lloyd looked to Colette, "I never thought us getting married would make him so happy."

Colette told him, "He's so happy because you are, Lloyd. Like I said before, every father wishes for the comfort and happiness of their children. Your father is no different." She smiled, "Come on, let's go look at the stars."

Lloyd smiled and nodded, "Sure that sounds great."

The couple went outside and lay down next to each other, gazing up at the dark sky that was littered with tons of stars.

Eventually, Colette fell asleep against Lloyd, listening to his heartbeat once more.

Lloyd smiled and sighed, also falling into a contented sleep.

* * *

A/N: Well, that does it for Chapter 4. Lots of Lloyd/Colette fluff. And if their engagement seems to have happened all of a sudden, it's because I was going to have a wedding for them in the next chapter. Please review! 


	6. Chapter 5 A Wedding and Sacrifices

Disclaimer: See the Prologue

A/N: This chapter has a lemon in it, because it has their honeymoon too. As such, this chapter and I'm pretty sure this one alone, is rated M.

Chapter 5

A Summer Wedding and Sacrifices

About 5 months later, Lloyd was getting ready for the wedding. He had on a tuxedo w/ a red bowtie and belt thingy (A/N: sorry, I can't think of what those are called…they go along the bottom of the shirt part…), and matching black boots. His spiky brown hair had been gelled down and hung to the nape of his neck. Kratos was nearby, dressed in a similar outfit. Regal, Yuan, and Genis were also standing near. Kratos seemed extremely happy, happier than anyone had seen him since Anna's death. He asked Lloyd, "Are you ready?"

Lloyd replied, "Yeah…I'm…a little nervous though."

Kratos nodded, "That's normal. I was extremely nervous when your mother and I had our ceremony. It was only Yuan, me, her, and the priest, but I was a mess. Yuan can attest to that."

The aforementioned cobalt-haired seraphim nodded to confirm what Kratos was saying, "He was a wreck, despite the fact that it was a small and private ceremony. I thought he would drop Anna's ring."

Kratos replied, "Anyway, Lloyd, you'll be fine. Colette loves you dearly and I'm sure she's nervous too. There's nothing for you to worry about."

Regal answered, "Yes, your father is correct, Lloyd. She's probably as nervous as you are."

Genis smiled, "Yeah, I'm sure she is. She's probably really happy too."

Meanwhile, in a different part of the chapel, Colette was almost ready. She had on an ivory-colored dress, white elbow-length gloves, her long blonde hair had been parted and the front pieces had been braided and put into a crown-like shape and the veil set on her head was the color of a cloud on a clear day and accented with yellow lining. She was wearing white stilettos too. She shifted her weight nervously and sighed, "…Everyone, are Lloyd and I doing the right thing?"

Raine smiled and answered right away, "Yes, Colette, you are. You're probably just getting nervous. A lot of new brides get that way, so don't worry. Lloyd loves you for who you are, not just what you look like." Her silvery-white hair had been brushed and straightened, and it just touched the tips of her shoulders. She was wearing a one-shoulder ankle-length pastel blue dress, and wore her usual white boots.

Presea added, "Though you do look beautiful today, Colette, Lloyd loves you more for your big heart than he does for your physical characteristics. So yes, you are doing the right thing. I've never seen Lloyd as happy as he has been since you two got engaged." She was wearing a pastel blue dress, her pink pigtails had been braided, and she had on white slipper-like shoes.

Sheena replied, "It is the right thing to do, Colette. You make an absolutely beautiful bride and Lloyd doesn't know how lucky he is." She figured complimenting Colette would help her get over and further suppress her own feelings for the Eternal Swordsman. She was wearing a pastel blue sleeveless blouse that had flower designs around the collar, white pants, and her dark hair had been braided.

Colette smiled, "Thanks, Sheena." She hugged the raven-haired summoner, then blinked as she heard the bells ringing, "Oh, you four should go get your places." She smiled at Presea, "Thank you for being the flower girl."

Presea smiled back, "You're quite welcome, Colette." She told Sheena and Raine, "Let us go. I am sure the others are waiting." She gave Colette a quick hug, then left the room.

About 10 minutes later, the wedding began.

Colette had requested Pastor Marche to perform the ceremony, and he had agreed, saying it would be one of the finest duties he would ever perform.

Lloyd was standing at the front, fidgeting a bit.

Kratos elbowed him, "Stay still, Lloyd. I know you're nervous, but you won't help Colette feel any less nervous is you keep fidgeting like that."

In the sanctuary, only a few friends and family had been invited to the wedding.

Chocolat and Cacao were among the guests, and sat quietly while the wedding proceeded.

Genis was standing up at the front with Lloyd and the others, and had the rings in his pocket.

Finally, "Here Comes the Bride" played, and Colette was escorted up by her father, Frank. All the guests stood up.

Once they arrived at the front, Pastor Marche asked, "Who gives this young woman to be wed?"

Frank replied, "I do, sir. I'm her father, Frank Brunel."

Pastor Marche nodded, "Very well then, everyone be seated."

All the guests sat down.

Frank took a seat as well. He smiled over at Dirk and Kratos, who were both sitting in the same row as he was, "It's an honor to finally meet you, sir." He whispered to Kratos, so as not to interrupt, "So you're Lloyd's biological father?"

Kratos nodded in response, watching the ceremony.

Dirk told Frank, "Best not bother 'im riaght now, Frank. 'e's too busy revelin' in 'is son's happiness." He was too, and turned back to the ceremony. (A/N: Such horrid grammar…must not…kill…Dirk…)

Frank nodded and continued to watch the ceremony.

Pastor Marche asked Lloyd, "Do you, Lloyd Irving, take Colette Brunel to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, forsaking all others and remaining true to only her, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, for as long as you both shall live?"

Lloyd replied all smiles and holding both of Colette's hands, "I do."

Pastor Marche nodded and turned to Colette, "Do you, Colette Brunel, take Lloyd Irving to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, forsaking all others and remaining true to only him, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, for as long as you both shall live?"

Colette was also giddy with happiness and replied, "I do."

Pastor Marche nodded, "Then let us begins the exchanging of rings. Will the ring bearer please come forward?"

Genis stepped forward and handed Lloyd the ring he had Dirk make for the wedding. It was a very finely crafted ring, with ruby insets along the band, as well as the words "My love is as eternal as the heavens" engraved on the inside, and the diamond was exceptionally sparkly and large. He had wanted only the best for Colette. Genis then handed Colette the ring that she had Dirk make for Lloyd. It was a quite plain ring with rubies encrusted along the top of the band, and on the inside of it, it said, "You are my guardian angel". (A/N: I know, I'm a sap. Shut up!) He then stepped back to allow the ceremony to continue.

Pastor Marche then said, "Lloyd Irving, take the ring, place it on Colette's finger, and repeat after me."

Lloyd placed the ring on Colette's ring finger, then looked at him for a moment. He then smiled at Colette again and listened.

Pastor Marche said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Lloyd repeated, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Pastor Marche and Colette smiled at virtually the same time. Then, Pastor Marche looked to Colette, "Colette, take the ring, place it on Lloyd's finger, and repeat after me."

Colette put Lloyd's ring on him and smiled up at him. She then listened for what Pastor Marche would say.

Pastor Marche replied, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Colette repeated, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Pastor Marche smiled and nodded. He then added, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Lloyd took the veil away from Colette's face and planted a deep, passionate kiss on her lips.

Pastor Marche turned to everyone gathered and said, "I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Irving!"

Everyone stood and clapped for the newlyweds.

Colette and Lloyd finally broke the kiss and waved to everyone, smiling broadly.

Pastor Marche then added, "The reception will be held at the bride's house, and I was asked by the newlyweds to convey the message that everyone is invited."

Kratos spoke up, "So, Lloyd, have you and Colette decided where you will have your honeymoon?"

Lloyd blushed, then nodded, "Yeah, we're going to Altamira."

Regal replied, "Good choice, Lloyd. I'll make sure no one disturbs you and your bride."

Lloyd smiled, "Thanks, Regal." He turned to Colette, "Let's get going."

Colette smiled right back, "Sure. We need to get everything ready anyway."

The newlyweds headed back to Colette's house, to prepare everything for the reception.

Lloyd changed out of his red tuxedo, and back into his familiar clothing, so that he wouldn't mess it up in getting everything ready.

Colette also changed, back into her white-and-blue dress and black tights, "Lloyd, this is great!" She was still really giddy from the wedding and hugged him tightly.

Lloyd smiled and returned her embrace, "I agree, Colette. We should get everything ready, though."

Soon, there was a knock on the door.

Colette blinked, "…Who could that be?" She walked over to the door and opened it.

Kratos, Dirk, and Frank were all three standing there, having come to help them out.

Lloyd blinked, "Dirk? Dad? Frank? What brings you here?"

Dirk answered, "Well, we di'n't feel riaght abou' makin' you two prepare the reception ya'selves so we tho't we'd come help ya. Ain't that right, Kratos?"

Kratos nodded, "Dirk's right. And don't try to talk us into leaving. We're not going anywhere until everything's ready."

Frank asked, "So what can we do to help?"

Colette smiled, "Father! Thank you all for coming to help. Hmm…Kratos, could you and Dirk start making steaks? That's what we were going to have as the main course."

Kratos replied, "Sure…as long as it isn't anything involving tomatoes, I'll gladly help."

Colette giggled, and then told Frank, "Father, how about you get started on the potatoes and rolls? Lloyd and I will handle dessert."

Frank nodded, "Sure. Let's get started!"

After about 3 hours of preparation, everything was ready and the guests were starting to arrive.

The first ones to walk in were Chocolat and Cacao.

Chocolat ran over to Lloyd and Colette, who were standing by the dessert table near their cake, which Cacao had lovingly prepared. She told them, "Congratulations, Lloyd! I'm so happy for you and Colette." She hugged them both then got herself some food.

Cacao smiled at Lloyd and Colette, "You two, thank you for letting me make that cake for you, and congratulations." She hugged Colette, kissed her on her cheek, then got herself some food and sat with her daughter.

The reception went well and Lloyd and Colette received many gifts, most of them were things that they would be able to use in the new home that they would move into in Palmacosta after Lloyd discarded all of the Exspheres, which he estimated (A/N: It's a Lloyd estimate so it's bound to be off a bit…XD) would take about 8 months.

After the reception, Kratos, Dirk, Frank, Lloyd, and Colette all cleaned up. After they were done cleaning, Lloyd and Colette started packing up for their honeymoon.

It was during this time that Kratos heard something outside. The voice he had heard sounded like Hexa, so she must have escaped Luin Prison! He walked outside and glared at her, "Hexa…so, you've broken free, have you? I'm sorry, but I won't allow you to disturb my son's peace."

Hexa smirked, "Too bad. It's getting disturbed anyway!" She headed into Colette's house, zipping past Kratos and going to stab Lloyd through the back.

Kratos was too late to block the move with his own sword, so he used his own body as a shield, getting stabbed through the back. The blade came out his stomach, "Lloyd!" He shouted at his son to get his attention.

Lloyd jumped and turned. He saw his father with a sword sticking through him and Hexa holding it. He shouted back, "Dad!!" He then glared over at Hexa, "You won't get away with this!" He lunged at her, drawing both swords, "Fierce Demon Fang!"

Hexa winced in pain as Lloyd slashed her stomach with the hi-powered move, falling to her knees and panting.

Lloyd then clocked her in the head with the blunt end of his sword to knock her out, "Colette, go find Professor Sage and get the authorities! Hurry!"

Colette nodded and ran out of the room.

Lloyd darted to Kratos as he fell, catching him, "Dad…hold on! You're gonna be okay!"

Colette soon came back with Raine.

Raine looked shocked at the scene before her, but darted over to Lloyd and Kratos, "Move aside, Lloyd. I'll do what I can for your father."

Lloyd nodded and stood up, releasing his father and getting out of her way. Concern flickered in his chocolate brown eyes as he watched her heal his dad.

Raine finally spoke again, having pulled out the blade and healed him to the best of her ability, "I've done everything I can, Lloyd. It's all up to Kratos now. Why don't you and Colette leave to go on your honeymoon, and I'll send you regular updates about Kratos via letters?"

Lloyd sighed and nodded, "…Okay. I'm sure it's what Dad would want anyway…" He got to his feet and looked at Colette, "Are you ready?"

Dirk walked into the room, having overheard everything, "I'll help ya, Raine. What ya need me ta do?"

Raine replied, "Dirk…why don't you go put Kratos in bed? If he wakes up and tries to move, don't let him. He shouldn't be moving around too much, especially after what happened to him."

Dirk nodded and lifted the unconscious seraphim, carrying him up the stairs. He told Lloyd on his way up, "Lloyd, don' ya be worryin' about yer father while ye're on your honeymoon. Tha's the last thing he'd be wantin.' I'll help Raine to take care o' him. E's your father too after all."

Colette told Lloyd, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Lloyd replied, "All right then, let's go."

Colette nodded and told him, "Okay. Lloyd, please don't forget that Dirk and Raine are taking good care of your father…I want our honeymoon to be special."

Lloyd managed a small smile at her, "Don't worry, I won't. And I promise, this trip will be something that you won't ever forget."

After traveling to Altamira via Rheiard, Lloyd and Colette safely touched down on the island and walked to the main part of the resort.

Regal was standing near the entrance, smiling broadly at them, having left hours before and not being aware of the bad condition Kratos was in, "Lloyd, Colette, it's a joy to see you again."

Lloyd replied, "Good to see you too, Regal."

Regal asked, "Are you okay, Lloyd? You seem a little preoccupied."

Colette told Regal, "…Kratos was attacked by Hexa…well actually; it would've been Lloyd that got attacked, if Kratos hadn't stepped in to save him."

Regal's eyes widened slightly, concern flickering in his eyes, "…Is he all right?"

Lloyd shrugged, "We don't know. When we left, he was still unconscious. I'm sure he'll be fine though. Dad's tough." He managed a smile.

Regal nodded, "I'm sure you're right. There's nothing to be concerned about. Come, I'll show you two to your room in the hotel. I took the liberty of reserving the honeymoon suite for you."

Colette blushed, "Oh…thanks, Regal!"

Lloyd blinked, "Wow…thank you. You didn't have to do that."

Regal shrugged, "It was no problem. I figure I may as well use my status as President of the company for something."

Colette smiled, "Right…well then, take us to our room, Regal!"

Regal escorted the newlyweds to the honeymoon suite and told them, "Here it is. I've already paid for it, so you two just enjoy your stay. And there's a 'Do-Not-Disturb' sign hanging on the back of the door whenever you're ready to use it…" With that, he promptly left the room, going back to Lezareno.

Lloyd walked around the room, impressed by the size and grandeur. "Wow! This room is really nice!"

Colette smiled, "Yeah, it is." She stayed with him, holding his hand. She noticed there was only one bed and blushed. Not that she was uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a bed with Lloyd…she had just never shared a bed with anyone before.

Lloyd also noticed this and blinked, "…I guess with all the other stuff in this room, they only had room for one bed." (A/n: XD Lloyd, you are such an idiot.)

Colette fake giggled to hide her nervousness, "Yeah, I guess so." She kissed him on the cheek.

Lloyd noticed the fake giggle and asked, "What's wrong, Colette?" He turned to face her, putting his arms around her and trying to comfort her.

Colette told him, "…I don't think they just put one bed in here because there was so much stuff. It is…the honeymoon suite…"

Lloyd finally figured it out and his eyes went wide and he blushed, "…Ohh! Well, I don't mind…sharing a bed…with you, Colette." (A/N: Argh! The suspense is killing me!)

Colette smiled, "Oh, good." She hugged him tightly, then placed her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.

Lloyd kissed back, "So…uhh, what you wanna do?" He asked, after they broke the kiss to breathe. His face was almost as red as his shirt by this time.

Colette shrugged, "…Maybe we can lie on the bed and see if it's as comfortable as the ones in the VIP room." It was a purely innocent suggestion, but it wouldn't stay innocent.

Lloyd replied, "Good idea." He flopped down on the bed, and the velvet sheets were _very_ comfortable, "Wow! It's even more comfortable than those. Come; lay down next to me, Colette."

Colette smiled and nodded, lying on the bed. She sighed, "Wow, it is. I could almost go to sleep right now."

------------------------Begin lemon, if you don't like lemons, skip this section-----------------

Lloyd told her, "Don't…I have a suggestion of what we can do…." He said, slightly uncomfortable about asking Colette for sex.

Colette looked at him, "Oh, well then, what is it?"

Lloyd replied, "Well, uhh…we could always, uhh…have sex. That is, if you want to." He scratched the back of his neck nervously, his face blushing a bright red.

Colette giggled, "Sure, Lloyd. I don't mind giving that to you." She took off Lloyd's red jacket, suspenders, and gloves, showing the black sleeveless shirt he had on underneath. She then took off her own white-and-blue dress, revealing the white bra, black tights, and panties she was wearing.

Lloyd kissed Colette deeply on the lips, his hands roaming gently to the small mound of her breast and rubbing gently. He then reached both hands around her, embracing her as well as unfastening the bra, taking it off of her.

Colette kissed back, at the same time, taking off Lloyd's black shirt.

When they both came up to breathe, Lloyd was panting, "Wow…that was a good kiss, Colette. Want…to do something more?"

Colette giggled, also breathing a bit hard, her face mildly flushed, "I was wondering if you were going to ask." She took off her black tights and panties, showing Lloyd her naked body.

Lloyd was blushing even more now, "…Colette, you're beautiful…" He murmured, becoming aware of his own growing arousal. He took off his coal-gray pants, showing off the black boxers he was wearing.

Colette smiled, "Lloyd…you're really handsome." She kissed him deeply on the lips.

Lloyd kissed back, and got on all fours, hovering over Colette, "…You sure, Colette?" He was a virgin and inexperienced, and didn't want to end up hurting Colette by accident.

Colette nodded, smiling up at him, "Yeah, Lloyd, let's do this." She kissed him deeply, wrapping her legs around his waist as a small encouragement.

With nothing else to stop him, Lloyd gulped and nodded, sliding off his boxers and thrusting hard into Colette, wincing a bit as he lost his virginity.

Colette winced a little also, since she had just lost her virginity at the same time as Lloyd, panted and began to wriggle around under Lloyd, to keep up with his brisk rhythm.

Lloyd began to pick up the pace, getting even and even more aroused, panting and moaning in pleasure.

Colette moaned in pleasure as she began to orgasm, smiling up at Lloyd, "I LOVE YOU, LLOYD!" She shouted.

Lloyd blushed, "I love you too, Colette." He whispered to her as he reached his peak too, thrusting hard into her.

Colette moaned in pleasure and wrapped her legs around Lloyd's, their bodies twined together in pleasure.

Lloyd's seed poured deep into Colette, creating a warm feeling inside of her.

She released him and they both lay there for a minute, panting.

-----------------------------------------End lemon---------------------------------------------

Colette then yawned and rolled onto her side, pulling the cover over herself, "Wow…it's late now. Is it already 12:00 midnight?"

Lloyd nodded and gave a slight yawn too, "Yeah…it is. Ready to go to sleep?"

Colette smiled, "Yeah, I am. Good night, Lloyd. I love you." She kissed him on the lips.

Lloyd kissed back, then told her, once the kiss was broken, "I love you too, Colette." He rolled onto his side as well and placed an arm around her delicate form, pulling the cover on his side up to his waist. He yawned again, and fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: So yeah, was that a good chapter? Bad? Please review! 


	7. Chapter 6 Kratos Recov, Colette Pregnant

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 6

Kratos's Recovery, Colette's Pregnancy

The next morning, Colette was the first one awake. She yawned and stretched lazily as she slowly sat up. However, a short time later, she felt like she would throw up and got up and ran to the bathroom.

Lloyd yawned and woke up while Colette was still in the bathroom. He blinked, "…Colette?" He looked around, wondering where his young wife had gone, and worried about her.

Colette didn't reply, but Lloyd could hear the sounds of her throwing up in the bathroom and he ran over to the door, knocking on it, "Colette, are you okay?"

Colette finally came out, and replied tiredly, "…Yeah, I was just feeling a little sick, but I'm okay now. Though, I am a little thirsty."

Lloyd nodded, "I'll get you some water then. Are you sure you're okay?"

Colette sighed, "Lloyd, really, I'm fine. It's nothing." She yawned again then smiled, wondering in the back of her mind if she could be pregnant.

Lloyd got Colette a glass of water and handed it to her, "There you go. So, what do you want to do today?"

Colette answered, "Why don't we go and see how Presea's doing? She's still cosplaying for the Lezareno Company as Klonoa, right?"

Lloyd smiled, "Yeah, that's true." He heard a knocking on their door and told her, "Wait here a minute. I'm gonna go see who that is."

The person standing there turned out to be a messenger from Iselia, who had a letter in his hand from Raine, "You're Lloyd Irving, correct?"

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

The man handed him the piece of paper he had been holding in his hand, "This message is for you. It's from Raine Sage in Iselia."

Lloyd nodded, "Thank you."

The man replied, "You're welcome. Have a nice day." He walked away.

Lloyd opened the folded piece of paper and read it aloud, "Lloyd, you will be happy to know that your father is making a speedy recovery and plans on meeting you and Colette in Altamira. I hope that you and Colette are enjoying your vacation and good luck. Signed, Professor Raine Sage."

Colette smiled, "Did she give a time when Kratos is going to get here?"

Lloyd looked over the letter again to see if he missed anything. He then noticed a "P.S. Kratos will be there around noon so make sure that you and Colette both look presentable when he arrives." He nodded and answered Colette's question, "Yeah, he'll be here at noon. What time is it now?"

Colette glanced at the grandfather clock on the wall and replied, "It's 10:30 right now. We should get ourselves cleaned up for Kratos."

Lloyd nodded, "You can shower first then. I'll wait for you out here." He smiled and kissed her on the lips, holding her close.

Colette smiled and kissed back, telling him, "Okay, Lloyd." She slowly and reluctantly pulled away, then got some fresh clothes from the closet and went to the bathroom to shower. She took a rather quick shower, and stepped out. She dried off, got dressed and brushed her long blonde hair. She thought about doing it differently, and braided two of the locks that normally rested near her face. She then put them together in a hair holder so they were sort of like a circlet resting on the top of her head. She walked out of the bathroom and told Lloyd, "Your turn."

Lloyd liked the new look Colette was trying and smiled, "You look great, Colette." He embraced her and kissed her on the lips, "I shouldn't be too long." He reluctantly let go of Colette and grabbed some fresh clothes also, going to take a shower. He got out about 10 minutes later. He dried off and got dressed, mussed with his hair a bit to get it the spiky style he always wore, then came out, "So then, Colette, are you ready?"

Colette smiled, "Yep."

They went to see Presea.

During the visit, Colette started to feel really tired and told Lloyd, "Can we go back to the room, Lloyd? I'm feeling really tired all of the sudden."

Presea asked her, "Are you okay, Colette? You don't normally get tired so easily."

Colette smiled, "I'm fine…I'm sure that…it's nothing." She fainted.

Lloyd gasped, "Colette!" He caught her before she could hit the ground, "Colette…"

Kratos had arrived just then and flew over to his son and daughter-in-law, Aiden on a child-carrying pack on his back, "Lloyd…what happened?"

Lloyd shrugged, "I don't know. Colette's been a bit weird lately…she passed out just now from being too tired, I think. She said she was feeling sick this morning too."

Kratos smirked, knowing the signs of pregnancy because of Anna, "Lloyd…did you and Colette…do anything special last night?"

Lloyd blushed, stuttering as he answered, "Err…w-well, we…"

Kratos cut him off because of Aiden, "Oh, I see." He looked Colette over then noticed three mana signatures in her body. One was hers…but two new ones were starting to take shape in her abdomen. He replied, "Colette will be fine, Lloyd. Just let her rest and make sure she eats healthy."

Lloyd replied, not understanding him, "…What do you mean, 'she'll be fine'?! She just passed out!"

Kratos sighed, "I suppose I'll have to spell it out for you. Colette is going to have a child, rather, two of them, twins. As long as she eats healthy, gets enough sleep, and exercises regularly she'll be fine."

Lloyd's eyes bulged as he took in this information, "Twins? Ohh…Dad, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice like that. I'm just…so worried about Colette."

Kratos smiled, "I know, Lloyd. It's okay. I was worried to death about your mother when she was carrying you. Truthfully, I was worried about both of you. Hers was a high-risk pregnancy because of the Exsphere that you now wield."

Lloyd smiled back, "Thanks, Dad. Wow…really? What could've happened?"

Kratos sighed, "Any number of things could've gone wrong…the Exsphere may have absorbed your very life during the pregnancy, she may have died while having you…many things can go wrong during childbirth, Lloyd. Don't forget that."

Colette woke up a short time later, groaning as a wave of nausea hit her again. She looked at Lloyd, "Hey Lloyd…why are you so happy?"

Lloyd replied, "We're going to have children, Colette. Twins. Kratos confirmed it."

Colette gasped, and then smiled, "Wow…I'm so glad I got to live to see this day, Lloyd. I never thought I'd be alive to have children."

Lloyd sighed, "No, I guess not. Anyway, we need to decide what to name our babies."

Colette thought for a moment, "Hmm…how about, for girls, we name them Hannah and Heather? For boys, we could name them Kurt and Kyle, and if it's a mix, we could name them Emily and Edmund. What do you think, Lloyd?"

Lloyd smiled, "Those are perfect names, Colette. I honestly couldn't think of that many names. Want to go have some fun on the beach, or are you still feeling too sick for that?"

Colette replied, "I'm feeling great now, Lloyd, really." She smiled, "Let's go to the beach. I'm sure all I need is fresh air." She went to the bathroom and changed into her bathing suit.

Lloyd was wearing his blue swimming trunks, having changed while she was in the bathroom. He asked her, with a very concerned expression, "Are you sure you're up to this? I don't want you to overexert yourself or anything."

Colette smiled, "Really, Lloyd, I'm fine. If I start to get tired, I'll tell you." She kissed him on the lips to reassure him then took his hand, "Let's go."

Lloyd smiled back, "Okay, Colette." He led her to the beach and sat down on the sand, watching as the waves crashed on the shore.

Colette told Lloyd, "I think I'll just lie here for a bit, Lloyd. Why don't you go and have some fun in the water?"

Lloyd responded, "But…I don't want to leave you out of the fun. I'll wait." He kissed her on the lips and placed his arms around her.

The couple watched the waves for a bit then Lloyd got into the water and splashed Colette lightly and playfully.

Colette giggled, "Lloyd…I'll get you for that!" She splashed him back, and the two engaged in a 'splashing war'.

Kratos had been keeping an eye on the two from a distance, just in case Hexa dared to show her face again. He thought he was standing at a distance that prevented him from being splashed, but soon found out that he was wrong. Cold water splashed at his ankles and face.

Lloyd noticed that he had accidentally hit his father and got the 'deer-caught-in-the-headlights' expression on his face. He blinked, "Uhhh…hi, Dad!" He grinned slightly sheepishly, hoping the older man wouldn't get angry because he had hit him instead of Colette.

Kratos smirked playfully at his son, a devilish glint in his coppery-red eyes, "Hello, Lloyd." (A/N: O.O; I'm scaaaared! hides)

Colette was slightly creeped out by Kratos's expression and took a few steps back, "Umm…err, Kratos, Lloyd didn't mean to…" She didn't know what else to say, too freaked out by the look on Kratos's face.

Kratos ran over to Lloyd, picked him up and dunked him playfully, and held him under for 3 seconds before pulling him back up, trying hard not to laugh. ((A/N: XD ROTFL Lloyd just got pwned by his daddy!))

Colette giggled when she saw all this, "I do believe Kratos wins, Lloyd."

Lloyd made a pouting face, though he was only teasing, "No fair!"

Kratos shrugged, "Life's not fair Lloyd, but surely you knew that by now." He joked, still wearing the same playful smirk.

Lloyd's expression got like this: O.O and he commented, "Dad…did you just make a funny?"

Regal walked up just then, to tell them that the beach was going to be closing soon, after the sun set, and replied, "Yes, Lloyd, he did. I think that finding out that he was going to have grandchildren may have helped him to loosen up. That and the fact that you are alive and happy."

Colette looked at Regal, "Oh, hi Regal. When did Kratos tell you that I'm pregnant with Lloyd's children? What are you doing here?"

Regal answered, "He told me before you came here. I came to tell you that the beach is closing for the night soon." He looked to the ex-Seraphim, "Kratos, I do believe we should let Colette and Lloyd be alone for a bit before the sun is totally set. Don't you agree?"

Kratos nodded, "I'll see you two back at the hotel then." He walked off, carrying Aiden, his god-son, in his arms.

Colette made her comfortable on Lloyd's lap and looked toward the horizon, the sky seeming to be burning with bright orange, purple, red, and golden colors as the sun set.

Lloyd smiled as he watched too, his arms loosely around Colette. It was a truly romantic and beautiful sight, two lovers watching the sunset.

They kissed just as the sun got near to the end of its journey below the horizon and out of the sky.

Lloyd told Colette, after they broke the kiss to breathe, "Come on let's go. I'm sure Regal's got something waiting for us back at the hotel."

Colette smiled, "Okay."

The two walked hand-in-hand back to the hotel.

When they got there, Kratos was waiting for them in the lobby. He told them, "Come to the dining room. Regal's prepared a full meal for all of us."

Lloyd nodded, "Okay…but who's "all of us"? It's just you, Colette, me, and Regal, right?"

Kratos replied, "You'll see. Just come on." He led the two into a large dining room, that had a huge table and that was fully stocked with any kind of food you could think of, just about. The only thing that was 'missing' from the table was tomatoes, for obvious reasons. Just as they walked in the room, Sheena, Raine, Genis, and Presea, shouted from the far side of the room, "Congratulations, Colette!" They showered the girl in green confetti.

Colette giggled at the attention and replied, "Thank you! How did you all find out that-?"

Regal cut her off, glancing at Kratos, "I believe you can answer that, Kratos."

Kratos replied, "Well, I couldn't just keep the news about your children to myself. I felt that Sheena and the others had a right to know as well."

Raine spoke up, "Speaking of others, I believe the male part of our group should make themselves scarce. A baby shower is supposed to be only girls."  
Sheena sighed, "I think that's a silly tradition. Lloyd should at least be allowed to stay, since he did help…err, bring the children about in the first place."

Lloyd and Colette blushed bright red at her words, slightly embarrassed.

Kratos nodded, "I can see where I'm not wanted. I'll leave if I'm in the way."

Lloyd replied, "Don't be silly, Dad. You're not in the way." He looked to Regal, "Could you take care of Aiden while Dad's here with us? Please?"

Regal answered, "Yes, Lloyd, I will. Genis, are you coming with me or staying here?"

Genis told him, "I'll come with you and Aiden." He hugged Lloyd tightly and told him, "Good luck Lloyd. Let's hope your kids take after Colette." He was saying it as a joke of course, and grinned.

Everyone else laughed at his joke, except for Lloyd, who didn't really get it.

Lloyd blinked, "…What's that supposed to mean?"

Genis laughed a bit more, "Don't worry about it, Lloyd." He clapped his best friend on the shoulder before leaving, assuming he would get it at a totally random time. (A/N: This has happened to me before. I once didn't get a joke that was told to me until two weeks later and I finally laughed…at a totally random time. XD))

Regal followed him out, carrying Zelos's son, Aiden, in his arms.

Sheena handed Colette a smallish box, "Here Colette. I made that myself. Open it."

Colette looked curiously at Sheena, then shrugged and opened the box. Inside was a folded up green, hand-crocheted blanket. She smiled and hugged the raven-haired summoner, "Thank you, Sheena. I'm sure I'll use this lots."

Lloyd watched everything in silence.

Presea spoke up, "Colette, my present is next. It's sitting on the table over there. It's the wooden one."

Colette glanced over at the side table, where some of the presents had been set. She soon spotted a large wooden, rockable baby cradle and blinked, "…Presea? Did you make this yourself?"

Lloyd was amazed too, "Wow…yeah, did you?"

Presea smiled, "Yes…do you like it?"

Colette replied, smiling back at the pink-haired lumberjack, "It's perfect! Thank you, Presea!" She bent down to the young girl and hugged her in gratitude.

Raine told Colette, "I believe my present is next, Colette. I believe you'll find mine useful too."

Colette told her, "I'm sure whatever you got me is wonderful, Professor. Which present is it?"

Raine answered, "The orange gift bag. Genis's should be there too. His has blue wrapping paper. I tried to get him to go with a gender-neutral color since you don't know what your baby is going to be yet, but he insisted on blue."

Colette nodded and searched through the presents, and finally found the presents that Genis and Raine and brought. She opened Raine's first. Inside the gift bag were a few milking bras and a couple of tickets to the amusement park on Altamira, post-dated for a year from the current day. Raine commented, "Regal chipped in on the tickets. He said he couldn't think of anything else to get you." Colette smiled and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, replying, "I like them, Raine. Thank you. I'm sure I'll put them to good use." She then opened Genis's gift, which was a box with two baby books in it. Both of them were green and said, "Baby's First Memories" on the cover. She smiled and told Raine, "Whenever you see Genis again, tell him I said thank you."

Raine nodded, "So then, that just leaves Kratos's gift. Are you going to open it?"

Colette blinked, "Oh…yeah." She grabbed the box with the plain red paper and opened it. Inside was an old, beautifully framed picture of Kratos holding Lloyd as a baby, with a handwritten message beneath it: I helped bring Lloyd into this world, but you are the one who truly made him happy. I can think of no greater gift for you or your child than the love that you and Lloyd share. I am sure that you will make wonderful parents. Signed, Kratos. This brought a tear to Colette's eye and she mumbled, "Kratos…thank you." ((A/n: sniff so beautiful…))

Lloyd blushed, "Dad…"

Kratos smiled and ruffled his son's hair, then placed his hand on Colette's shoulder.

Sheena told her, "Hey, let us see it."

Colette sighed, "Okay…" She set it on the table.

Sheena looked at the picture and smiled, "Well, I guess Kratos approves then. I've never seen this picture before…"

Raine replied, "Me neither…"

Kratos told her, "It took Yuan and I ages to locate that picture. Anna managed to steal that one of me. I didn't even realize she had taken it until she showed it to me a few days later…" He sighed and told her in a shaky voice, "Anyway, congratulations." He hugged his daughter-in-law.

Colette smiled and hugged him back, "Thank you, Kratos." She tactfully took his hand, to try and calm him down, "I'll treasure it forever."

The rest of the baby shower went off without a hitch, and everyone returned to their rooms after it was over.

Kratos and Lloyd helped Colette carry all the presents she had received back to the honeymoon suite and put them in the large closet in the main bedroom.

Kratos told Colette, "Well that takes care of it then. Good night, Colette."

She smiled, "Good night, Kratos."

Kratos smiled back then left the room, to let Colette and Lloyd sleep.

Lloyd yawned, "I'm so tired…"

Colette replied, "Then let's go to bed…" She yawned, "I'm exhausted too."

The couple got into bed and went straight to sleep.

* * *

A/n: Woo! That took longer than I expected. Anyway, please review and sorry again for taking so long!


	8. Chapter 7 Emmy Irving and EdKratosIrving

A/N: There is a time-skip this chapter. Colette had just found out she was pregnant when we last left them. She was two weeks pregnant when she found out and so this takes place about 9 months later, give or take a week or two. She will be having the children this chapter and one is going to be a boy and the other a girl, to keep gender ratios even. I didn't want poor Lloyd to be outnumbered by girls and I didn't want Colette to be outnumbered by boys, so I compromised. Now, Sheena, say the disclaimer.

Sheena: Yes ma'am. Joanna owns nothing Tales of Symphonia, but if she did, Kratos would never leave, and you could have both Kratos and Zelos in your party at the same time and not have to decide between them.

Me: Hey! Don't...grrr. Never mind. Just read!

Tales of Symphonia

The Search for Genis

Chapter 7: Emily Freya Irving and Edmund Kratos Irving

Colette yawned as she sat up in bed. It was certainly a beautiful day, complete with a clear sky, the sun shining brightly, and only a few white puffy clouds. She grinned and glanced over at Lloyd who was still sound asleep. She giggled and gently shook him, "Lloyd, get up!" She had on a white, maternity nightgown.

Lloyd grumbled, "Why?"

Colette giggled, "Cause it's morning, sleepyhead. Don't you know what today is?"

Lloyd looked confused as he sat up, yawning, "Eh? Oh wait...are you...?"

Colette nodded, "Yeah...it's time for me to give birth. I'm...a little scared...Professor Raine told me that childbirth is really painful."

Lloyd got a determined look in his eyes, "I won't leave you, Colette. I'll be there for you through everything."

Colette smiled, "I know, Lloyd. Thank you." She planted a brief kiss on his lips before she felt one of the twins kick her. She grimaced, "Oww..."

Lloyd blinked, "...You okay, Colette?"

Colette nodded, "Yeah...I think that these children really want to come though. I think they're anxious to meet their daddy." She smiled at him, kissing him and laying her head on his chest to cuddle.

Lloyd sighed and put his arms around her, cuddling with Colette for a bit. She had been more cuddly ever since she started to show. Not that he would complain, it was nice, but he wondered if this would last. _Most likely not. We'll both be busy with the babies. I guess I'd better enjoy her while it lasts._

Colette grinned up at him, "Lloyd...thank you for everything you've done for me these past months. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Lloyd replied, "Ahh, you're welcome." He grinned back down at her and hugged her.

The next moment, Colette's water broke, getting the velvet sheets wet.

Colette felt the wetness and gulped, "Lloyd...it's time...will you go and get Professor Sage, please? When you do get her, tell her my water broke..." She squeezed his hand tightly.

Lloyd flinched at how tightly Colette was clasping his hand but nodded, "All right, I'll be right back, Colette." He kissed her hand, pulled his own hand loose, somehow, and ran to get Raine.

Colette winced as she felt a contraction, "...Lloyd, please...hurry..." She whispered after him.

Lloyd was running as fast as he could to find Raine. He found her in Regal's office, holding his hand as she talked to him. He cleared his throat, "Excuse me, Regal, but can I borrow Professor Sage for a minute?" He sounded urgent.

Regal blinked, but nodded, "Sure...what's wrong, Lloyd?"

Raine asked, "Is Colette all right?" She knew that the twins were due within the next few days if not today.

Lloyd replied, "...She's in a lot of pain, and her water broke, whatever that means."

Raine nodded, "I see. Take me to her at once!" She planted a brief kiss on Regal's cheek, then looked to Lloyd, "What are you waiting for?"

Lloyd blinked, "Oh, right. Come on!" He grabbed her by the hand and ran out of Regal's office.

They arrived at the hotel within minutes, finding Colette in the advanced stages of labor, clenching the sheets tightly in her fists.

Raine told her, "It's okay, Colette. I'm here, I'll help you...how far apart are your contractions?"

Colette replied, "A minute...Raine, am I going to live through this? I heard that...a lot of women die giving birth..."

Raine nodded, "Yes, you will. You'll make it through this alive, I'll make sure of that." She turned to Lloyd, "...Why don't you go stand outside, Lloyd?"

Lloyd shook his head, "No, I'm staying right here! I promised Colette I wouldn't leave her!"

Kratos came into the room at the next moment, "Maybe you did promise that, but if you stay here, you're liable to get yelled at by Colette. A lot of women say things when they give birth that they really don't mean. Trust me on this one, Lloyd."

Raine replied, "Yes, Lloyd, listen to your father. Colette will be fine, I'll take care of her and help her have your children." He looked to Kratos, "If you feel the need, you can stay with Lloyd and talk to him about what to expect for the next few years."

Kratos nodded, "Come, Lloyd, let's leave Colette in Raine's care." He grabbed his son by the wrist and pulled him out of the room.

Lloyd told him, "Dad, please take me back in there. I promised Colette..."

Kratos cut him off, "I know, Lloyd. But trust me when I say you shouldn't be in the same room with her while this is happening. When your mother was having you, it was all I could do to not talk back to her at the things she said to me. I knew she didn't mean them, but they still hurt regardless. I left the room promptly after she said those things, before I said something I would regret. Also...I was very nervous. I was afraid at the many possibilities of things that could go wrong. I was afraid she would die...I was afraid that you would be absorbed by the Exsphere...but as you know, that's not what happened. She did die, but not from having you..."

Lloyd then told him, "I know. Listen to me, Dad. Kvar didn't leave you with any choice _but_ to kill mom. She would've killed me if you hadn't, so just calm down." He heard Colette screaming now and clenched his hands into tight fists, "Dammit! Let me go back in there!"

Kratos shook his head, "No, Lloyd, it's best if you stay in here. I know you're worried about Colette, but staying in here is the best thing for both of you."

It was a long labor for Colette, and Lloyd was going stir-crazy, pacing back and forth in the room adjacent to the room where she was giving birth. He asked Kratos, "Did it take this long with me?" He gave a small smile as he heard a small, high-pitched cry of a baby.

Kratos replied, "...Actually, yours was a little shorter. It took 6 hours, not between 7 and 10 like this one is taking. Then again, you are having _twins_, so it might take a little longer." He placed his hand on his son's shoulder, standing up, "Calm down. She'll make it through this. Colette is a really strong woman, and Raine is there to help her if any complications come up." He gave a small smile too at hearing the first child take its first breath.

Lloyd nodded as Kratos gave his shoulder a gentle, but firm squeeze, "Yeah...I know. I just can't help it though. She sounds like she's in so much pain...I don't know how much longer I can stay out here and not do anything."

Kratos sighed, "You wouldn't be able to do much of anything even if you were in there. Raine's got everything under control, so let's just leave it at that."

About an hour and a half later, the second of the twins was born, giving a loud wail as she took her first breath.

Lloyd looked at Kratos, "Can I go back in there now? Pleeease?"  
Kratos sighed, "Yes, go on. She should've calmed down sufficiently by now." He followed his son into the room.

Colette smiled up at Lloyd and Kratos, though it was a tired smile, "Hi, Lloyd. Come meet them."

Lloyd grinned and walked over, taking the small infant boy in his arms, "A boy and a girl...they're adorable, Colette. Just like you."

Colette giggled, "Don't look at me right now. I'm all sweaty and nasty."

Lloyd sighed and told her, "Don't say that. You're beautiful no matter what you look like." He hated it when she knocked herself, even if she was just kidding around. He kissed his infant son's forehead, "Now all we have to do is give them names."

Kratos told Lloyd and Colette, "I believe Raine and I will leave you two alone." He quietly slipped out of the room.

Raine was dragged out of the room by Kratos. She was smiling heartily and told Kratos, "You're a grandfather now. How does it feel?"

Kratos replied, "...It feels nice. Though..."

Raine looked mystified, "Though? What's that mean?"

Kratos added, smirking, "It makes me feel old."

Raine laughed a bit, "Well, you are thousands of years old, Kratos. If the shoe fits..."

Kratos rolled his eyes, not amused by Raine's dry humor, "Yeah yeah...anyway, I'd better be going. Aiden's mom is finally released from prison, so I need to take him back to her. See you around."

Raine nodded, "All right. Goodbye...Grandpa." She added, jokingly.

Kratos smirked, "Hm. Bye." He walked out of the hotel and flew off, heading for Luin.

Meanwhile, in the room where Lloyd and Colette were...

Lloyd asked Colette, "...Didn't you already have names picked out?"

Colette blinked, "Oh...yeah, that's right. I think...I think I said that if one's a boy and one's a girl, one is named Emily and the other Edmund. They need middle names too, though."

Lloyd nodded, "Can I choose them?"

Colette smiled, "Sure."

Lloyd replied, "Okay...let's see. How about...Edmund Kratos and Emily Freya?"

Colette nodded, "I like them, Lloyd. Wow...you put your dad's name as the middle name for Edmund. That was thoughtful of you."

Lloyd shrugged, "If not for him, I wouldn't be alive now. What better way to honor that courage than to name our son partly after him?"

Colette yawned and shrugged, "I don't know, but I'm sleepy."

Lloyd replied, "Yeah, I bet you are. Go on to sleep then. I'm not going anywhere." He placed his infant son on Colette's right side and curled up as close to her left side as possible without crushing their children. He yawned and went straight to sleep, snoring lightly.

Colette smiled and placed her hand on top of Lloyd's, whispering, "Sweet dreams, Lloyd." She then fell asleep too.

A/N: Well that does it for Chapter 4. Hope you liked! I'm sorry I wasn't all that descriptive about the childbirth, but I wanted to get some oyako and some Colloyd in there.


	9. Chapter 8 Responsibility

A/N: To catch everyone up with what happened to the other characters during the time skip, Hexa was sentenced to a life in prison without possibility of parole and Shanna was released from prison. This chapter starts with Colette and Lloyd getting everything ready to go to resume the Exsphere Journey. It will be more difficult with two children to take care of too, but I think if anyone could handle it, it would be them.

Chapter 8

Responsibility

Colette yawned as she woke up late the next morning. She had slept so late due to the fact that she had gone through many long hours of labor. Only moments later, little Edmund whimpered then cried, letting everyone in the room know that he was hungry.

Emily, disturbed awake by her older brother (though only by an hour and a half), cried also, but she was louder than her brother.

Lloyd was awakened by the crying as well and sat up quickly. He said, "It wasn't me!"

Colette giggled, "Good morning, Lloyd. Did you sleep well, aside from being woken up by these two noisemakers?" She took Edmund into her arms and began to breastfeed him.

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah…oh, do you want me to feed Emily?"

Colette smiled and replied, "Yeah, if you don't mind, Lloyd."

Lloyd answered, "I really don't mind helping you, Colette." He bent over and kissed her on the lips, then went and got a bottle from the cupboard. He filled it with some formula that had been given to them as a gift, poked a small hole in the nipple of the bottle, then picked up Emily and began to feed her.

Emily instantly calmed once she was in her father's arms. She was going to be a real daddy's girl. She drank down the formula hungrily then stopped once the bottle was empty. ((A/n: For anyone who is curious, Emily and Edmund both get formula and Colette's breast milk. They alternate during the day. In morning, Emily gets formula and Edmund gets to breastfeed. Afternoons, it's the other way around and evenings alternate daily. Anyhow, back to the story!))

Colette asked Lloyd, "Want to switch for the burping?"

Lloyd responded, "Sure." He handed over Emily and took Edmund from Colette, putting a white cloth over his right shoulder to keep from getting spit up on his bright red shirt.

Colette had done the same thing, except that she had put one on each of her shoulders instead of just the right. She told Lloyd, "You may want to get another cloth, Lloyd. Raine told me that you have to alternate sides when you burp a baby."

Lloyd blinked, "Oh…well, I guess I'll go get one then. Be right back." He planted a quick kiss on Colette's cheek, grabbed a cloth from the cupboard and then came back to Colette, "So…Colette, do you think we're ready to start back on the journey to destroy the Exspheres yet?"

Colette replied, "I think so. I mean, it's going to be a bit more difficult if we bring Emily and Edmund, but we'll manage it somehow."

Lloyd smiled and nodded, "I'm glad. I want to keep my promise to my dad. He finished doing what he told me he would do and it's kind of inspired me to finish up what I started until I heard about Emil and the Centurions' cores. It's too bad he died. Emil was a good guy." ((A/n: This is a reference to the bad ending of TOS 2. If you've not played TOS 2: Dawn of the New World, just skip the next bit.)) A slightly guilty expression crept onto Lloyd's face as he burped his son.

Colette told Lloyd, "Lloyd, its okay. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known that Emil would end it that way." She walked over to him and hugged him carefully so she wouldn't flatten Emily, then kissed his cheek, "Why don't we start packing to leave? That might give you something to do to get your mind off of him for a while."

Lloyd replied, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

(A/n: You may start reading again here.)

Edmund let out a loud burp then, spitting up slightly on the towel Lloyd had over his shoulder.

Lloyd gently rubbed his son's back and told him, "Its okay now. You're okay." He whispered this softly, his brown eyes watching his son lovingly. Now he understood the logic behind Kratos's protectiveness of him during the World Regeneration Journey. He hadn't wanted to lose Lloyd after losing Anna, because he was the only person alive that Kratos really cared for.

Colette set Emily down in her crib and began to pack up some diapers and necessary items for Emily and Edmund into two large duffle bags. Emily's was pink while Edmund's was blue. She looked at Lloyd and asked, "Will you pack for us while I pack up the stuff for the twins?"

Lloyd smiled and nodded, "Sure, Colette." He set Edmund in his crib, which was right next to his sister's. For some reason, the twins could hardly stand to be apart for more than a few minutes. ((A/n: Although they were born about an hour and a half apart, Emily and Edmund are still twins because they were born on the same day. If I'm remembering right, to be considered twins you only have to be born on the same day, not at the exact same time. If I'm wrong about this, let me know in a review. Thanks, and now back to our feature presentation!)) He went upstairs and began to pack some clothes for him and for Colette. He then began to look for his swords. After all, they would be traveling and you never knew what kind of dangers you could encounter on the road.

Kratos came into the room unannounced, "Lloyd, how are things going for you and Colette?"

Lloyd jumped slightly and turned around, "Oh, Dad. Hi. I didn't see you there. Things are going great. The twins are growing fast. By the way, how are things with Shanna and everyone?"

Kratos replied, "Well, Shanna is now working full-time at the Palmacosta Inn to support herself and Aiden. Sheena is back in Mizuho getting prepared to be chief, Presea and Regal are working hard at Lezareno, and Raine and Genis are back to campaigning for half-elves."

Lloyd nodded, "It's good to hear that they're still willing to do that after what happened."

Kratos responded, "Raine's got a pretty hard head at times, and Genis is feeling much better about everything now. If they let something like this dissuade them, they would never get anywhere with it."

Lloyd replied with a sigh, "You make a good point, Dad." He finished packing up his bag, and then looked around for his swords some more, "Now, where'd I leave those-?"

Kratos tossed Lloyd his swords from underneath a pile of books, "Here."

Lloyd caught the sheaths, "Thanks, Dad." He set the swords on the bed, and then began to pack up for Colette while she was still downstairs packing up for the twins.

Kratos asked, "Lloyd…would you mind if I accompanied you and Colette? I would feel much better about it then."

Lloyd looked up at him and smiled, "Of course. Do you even have to ask?"

Kratos smiled back and gave his son a loose hug, putting his arms around Lloyd's shoulders, "Thank you."

Lloyd nodded, "If not for you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you, Dad." He finished packing up Colette's clothing and toiletries and then zipped up her periwinkle blue bag. He went over to Kratos and hugged him, "Come on. Colette's downstairs waiting for me. She'll be happy you're here."

Kratos nodded back and accompanied Lloyd downstairs.

Colette smiled when she saw Kratos, "Hi Kratos!" She was obviously still in a very chipper mood. She then looked at Lloyd, "Are you ready?"

Lloyd replied, "Yeah, I'm ready. Colette, are you okay with Kratos coming with us?"

Colette giggled quietly behind her hand, "Sure, that's fine. The more the merrier." She went over to the closet and got out the two baby carriers she had bought two days ago before having the babies. One of them was blue and the other was pale beige. After placing the blue one on herself, she took a blanket from Edmund's crib, a blue one with a soft cutesy car sewn on, and put it in the baby carrier so the infant would have padding and not be horribly uncomfortable. She then picked up Edmund and put him in the seat part of it, placing her hand behind his head and neck area since he wasn't big enough yet to support his head. She then asked, "Lloyd, will you carry Emily?"

Lloyd nodded, "Sure. I have our stuff packed by the way." He placed the two bags of clothing and essential items on the table. His sheathed swords were now on either side his waist. He was clearly ready to go.

Colette smiled, "Glad to hear it. We're almost ready then." She bent down using her knees and picked up the baby carrier for Emily, carrying it over to Lloyd. She handed it to him.

Lloyd removed his swords and put on the beige baby carrier, getting Emily's pink blanket with a white lamb sewn on and putting it in the carrier so she could have padding too. He then got his swords again and put them back on his hips loosely, careful not to catch the belts on the Velcro of the baby carrier. He placed Emily in the carrier, being sure to place his hand behind her head and neck since she wouldn't be able to support her head by herself just yet, "Okay, we're ready. Kratos, are you ready?"

Kratos nodded, picking up Lloyd and Colette's bags before they could even object or ask for his help, "I've been ready. Let's go."

The three-generation traveling party left the house and headed out.

Kratos then asked, "What's our first destination?"

Lloyd replied, "Well, my most recent contact told me we could search around the ruins of the Palmacosta Ranch for Exspheres that the Desians left behind. I think that's a good place to start as any."

Colette smiled and nodded, "That sounds good to me."

Kratos replied, "Let's head out then."

The party continued on their way to Palmacosta.


	10. Chapter 9 Palmacosta

A/n: Today is update day, so you will probably see a few more of my stories being updated. Anyway, on with the story we go! I hope you like this chapter. :)

Chapter 9

Destroying Exspheres and Apologies

As Lloyd, Colette and Kratos along with Emily and Edmund entered Palmacosta, they noticed a young girl sitting on the steps leading into the governmental building and crying. They got closer and noticed that it was Marta, the girl who had been in love with Emil.

Lloyd sighed and said, "...Hello, Marta. I'm sorry about Emil."

Marta looked at Lloyd and said, "Oh...hi. Don't apologize, Lloyd. It's not your fault. Emil made a choice."

Colette asked, "How are you doing these days? I know that...Emil's death was really hard on you."

Marta told her, "I'm doing better. Richter's helping me deal with it, and he's taking full responsibility for his actions. He tried to claim responsibility for me, but I wouldn't let him."

Lloyd said, "That's good. I'm glad Richter's helping you and that you reconciled your differences with him."

Marta blushed and looked at the floor, "That's...not all we did."

Kratos said, "We don't need details. Anyway, we should get going, Lloyd and Colette. We have some Exspheres to deal with, remember?"

Marta told them, "Oh, by the way, you should probably look through the ruins of the ranch for those. I know that the Desians were there, and they supposedly used them. You might want to look thoroughly though. From what I understand, they wouldn't have made them easy to find." She then heard footsteps and turned around to see Richter coming. She gave him a small smile.

Richter managed to smile back slightly as well and told Lloyd, "Hello, Lloyd. I hope you didn't come here to cause trouble again."

Lloyd rolled his eyes, "Very funny, Richter. No, we just came to reserve a room in the inn and then go to the ruins of the Desian Ranch. We're looking for Exspheres to destroy."

Richter told him, "Well, be careful. I don't know this for sure, but I've heard from some of my former friends in the Vanguard that the ones who followed Alice and Decus might be in that area. If I were you, I'd leave Colette and your children behind and just have Kratos accompany you. It would be safer for them."

Colette sighed, "...Yeah, Richter's probably right, Lloyd. As much as I hate not helping you in fighting, I would be of more use tending to Emily and Edmund. They can't be alone for very long at their age."

Kratos nodded and added, "I would be neglectful in my duties as your father if I let you go by yourself, Lloyd. I don't mind going with you to the former ranch."

Lloyd asked him, "Are you sure about that, Dad? I mean, Mom was there and I don't want you to have any painful flashbacks..."

Kratos answered his son honestly, "I'm certain, Lloyd. Don't worry about that. I rarely ever have flashbacks now. Ever since Kvar was defeated, they've pretty much stopped."

Richter told them, "Marta and I have our own things to take care of, so we'd better get going. See you two around, I hope." He took Marta by the hand and the two of them walked away, softly chattering to each other.

Colette told Lloyd and Kratos, "I'll go to the inn and get us some rooms. Why don't the two of you go on to the ranch? I'm gonna put Emily and Edmund down for a nap."

Kratos nodded, "Very good, Colette. We will see you later." He and Lloyd left to go to the former Desian Ranch. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into too much trouble there, if any. There were probably monsters around the ranch, but hopefully apart from those, the two swordsmen would avoid any confrontation.

A/N: I know, this chapter was really short, but I have a lot of stories to update, so please bare with me! I will add a longer and better chapter next time, I hope! We will start off with Kratos and Lloyd at the ranch.


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